The Rules of Life
by Blinded HP
Summary: There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley’s when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year.  Where in the world is Harry Potter?  This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub
1. Chapter 1

**Title:**The Rules of Life

**Summary:**There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:**This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**PLEASE READ THE 'AN' BELOW! THANK YOU!**

**AN:**I know, I know! Fourth WIP that I have going now (LAIEI included). The reason for this is that I have realized where my strengths and my weaknesses lie. LAIKI had a certain 'rhythm' to it – a chapter a year, a chapter a summer, etc. – that kind of 'rhythm', as I call it, is easier for me to write than the more 'longwinded' routes I tried with 'WAIR' and 'BBR'. I will put 'Broken Boy's Requiem' on HIATUS for now as I think I will find my rhythm with that one some day soon. 'WAIR' on the other hand is a different story. If anyone wishes to take over the fic, please let me know. I will be taking it down in about a months time (by the time I finish this fic) so if possible, let me know before then.

I hope you all understand and I am really sorry everyone that I could not continue with 'WAIR'.

This fic will have the same 'rhythm' as 'Life as I know it' in that from Chapter 3 onward, it will be a chapter to represent a year and a chapter to represent a summer, etc.

The more intimate relationship between Harry and Severus will not happen before the last few chapters of the fic – as in LAIKI. Until then however, they will (and do) have a very unique relationship.

Read to find out more! :)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

The hallway leading to the Grand Hall in Malfoy Mansion was almost as wide as it was long. It looked like just another room, not merely a hallway.

Severus Snape had been in the house so many times that he could most probably tell you exactly how many paintings lined each wall without having ever counted them. He was proud of the way his mind worked and how organized his thoughts and memories were. Unconsciously calculating any and every detail in such a closed off space with a mere glance.

He could remember the first time he entered this mansion, the sheer awe he felt that such a place was, indeed, a home; an abode for a family of three. He knew that some of the rooms had remained closed for decades and that some of the staircases would be gathering dust if not for the work of the house elves.

Severus forced himself to concentrate on the here and now. It was never a good idea to let your mind wander when you were on enemy territory. Even though the fact that he saw this specific place of residence, as the 'enemy' was part of his best kept secret, he could not take the chance to relax a little and walk blindly into a trap.

The evening's activities had been planned well in advance and it was not the first time Severus attended one such _meeting_.

The way that people would unashamedly exhibit themselves and their slaves was close to nauseating. It was not the concept of having a slave that caused him to turn his head, no, it was the fact that _children_were involved.

He himself preferred the consensual Dominant and submissive partnership over that of a Master and a slave but he could still live with the idea of both as long as it did not involve children. That was where he drew the line.

Scanning the room's occupants, Severus repressed a shudder of revulsion as he saw a rotund woman pushing her slave-boy down on his knees non-too-gently before spreading her legs with not a care to the voyeurs around her.

The child looked no older than thirteen and had to be one of the youngest Severus had ever seen here in Malfoy mansion.

Severus stopped dead in his tracks when he took in the scene in front of him and had to rectify his last thought. No, thirteen was not even close to the age of the young boy in front of him.

The boy was knelt down next to one of the more vicious _Masters_ Severus knew and rage boiled inside him as he thought of what the youngster had most likely endured at the hand of Damen Nott. Severus could not help but marvel at how the meaning of the man's name could be applied to him today – taming. For Severus was certain that Damen's goal was to first _tame_the young boy and then break him. It was his way.

The last of Severus's precarious hold on his emotions snapped as the man ruthlessly shoved the boy out of the way when an older slave approached him. It was clear that Damen did not care one whit about the boy – either of them – but to treat his own slave in that way was beyond reproach.

Eyes turned towards him as he made his way to Damen Nott and the two slaves. Lucius caught his eye and Severus was glad to see that the man was not going to stop him from doing this.

It had been a long time since Severus had used physical violence but he could not help but feel a thrill as he pulled his arm back and punched the despicable man in the nose.

Severus grabbed the young boy, who he estimated around 9 years old and with the small hand held tight in his, made his way through the crowd and out of the room. No one tried to stop him; no one even pointed a finger. They all knew him better than to try something like that.

He was not certain just where to go with the boy but knew he wanted him as far away from Damen Nott as possible.

The hand he held was turning clammy but Severus just held tighter. After reaching the boundaries of the mansion, Severus turned the boy towards him and with both hands on his shoulder, he apperated them both to his house at Spinner's end.

The boy looked a bit disconcerted after the journey, even a bit scared but he did not say anything. A fact that Severus marveled at, as he knew just how much youngsters liked to babble – scared ones even more so.

Severus pulled off his coat and turned to the kitchen – he could do with a cup of hot coffee right now.

The youngster followed him without prompt but Severus did not say anything. He was certain that such behavior was the result of months of beatings, if not years. Damen Nott was a man who would want anything and everything done for him at a moment's notice, maybe even without.

"Things will be different here than what you are used to. The door next to this one leads to your room, yes; you will have your own room, your own bed and your privacy." Severus did not look up as he said this for he knew that he would snap as soon as he saw the boy's expression.

"Next to your room is the bathroom, make use of the facilities whenever you need to. Do not come to me when you need to use the facilities, you are free to use them without asking permission first. Across the hall is another door, that is my private store and study, you will not enter there unless I tell you to. Down the hall, the very last door on the right is my room. You will not enter there under any circumstances."

Severus turned around with his cup held firmly in his hands to see how the boy had taken all this. The surprised expression on his face was expected and Severus sneered at the hope lurking in those bright green eyes. No, he was not going to be the boy's savior or whatever other notion the little brat had. He would just make sure the boy had a place to sleep where no new nightmares could come from – the old ones they would have to deal with at another time.

"I will contact the headmaster of Hogwarts tomorrow to see if he can arrange any permanent lodgings for you. Until then however, you are stuck here. Get used to it."

With that, Severus stepped passed the still silently staring boy and made his way to his room.

He had no idea what to do with the brat now that he had him away from Damen Nott, but he knew that whatever happened now, he would not regret his decision.

It was the right thing to do.

* * *

Harry looked around him in awe. He had never had his own room before! Before his uncle left him with his Master, Harry lived in a little cupboard under the stairs. When his Master took him, he lived in the same room as his Master, the same bed. On the other hand, when his Master was displeased, he lived in the attic where a few rats had made friends with him.

His world, turned upside down in the matter of minutes, and Harry wasn't sure what to think of it.

He didn't even know his new Master's name! Not that he would ever call him by the name…. he shuddered as he thought of the pain such and action would cause. No, no, best just to keep thinking of him as Master and worry about the other problem later.

The fact that his new Master had not asked him any direct questions was both a blessing and a curse. Master had taken him from Master Damen, for which Harry was really grateful, but he couldn't help but feel worried about what his new Master would do when he found out Harry's problem. He didn't know just how far he could push his Master before he snapped, and he knew that the man was close to snapping already.

The expression on his Master's face said everything.

Harry looked at the huge bed in the corner of the room and couldn't help but smile as he thought of having his very own bed. It was like a dream come true.

Chasing any thoughts of apprehension for what tomorrow would bring away, Harry climbed in bed and forced himself to have this one night of calm, restful sleep.

* * *

Harry surveyed his appearance in the bathroom mirror. He remembered how uncle Vernon would rant and rave at him and his freakish scar, how the man would insist that Harry get rid of the disfigurement before they went out to buy something for Dudley or the few times he was dragged with them to church. When his scar disappeared the first time, Harry freaked out a bit but the way his uncle had given him a disgusted but satisfied nod pushed any lingering fears of what it meant to the back of his mind.

The day that Damen bought Harry, his scar was not visible and Harry kept it hidden ever since. He sometimes felt tired if he stayed up later than eight or nine but it was getting easier to maintain his 'scarless' forehead while staying awake into the night.

With his new Master, Harry didn't know what to expect. The man would surely notice if he suddenly had a new scar on his forehead and then he would start asking questions about how a freak such as Harry could make it disappear or appear at will. No, no, better to leave things at it were, the fewer questions asked, the better. He had learned that the hard way – at both his uncle's hands as well as Master Damen's.

Finishing up in the bathroom, Harry made his way back to his bedroom to make sure everything there was clean and tidy. He could hear his new Master's bedroom door open and quickly scrambled out of his own room to assist the man in any way he can.

His new Master looked at him with a scowl but otherwise ignored him. Harry really didn't mind, the few times his uncle or other Master ignored him were the best times he remembered.

Still, he followed his Master as the man made his way to the kitchen and Harry quickly stepped up next to the man as he put the kettle on. It had been a while since Harry last used a stove to boil water but he didn't mind. His Master looked down at him and with what sounded like a long-suffering sigh he stepped out of the way and Harry happily took over from his Master.

"I would hazard a guess that you are a muggle, correct?"

Harry heard his Master's voice and words but he had no idea what the man was talking about. Muggle?

"That frown on your face gives me all the answer I need. I take it Damen found you somewhere on the streets or something?"

Harry looked up as if to answer – one way or another, but quickly ducked his head. He had almost broken the fundamental rule when dealing with his Master and his betters. Never look your Master in the eye unless given express permission.

The second most important rule was, for Harry, even more fundamental that the first. Forced into his brain from a young age, Harry even had it written down on a piece of paper that he always carried in his pocket. One day he forgot to take it from the pocket of the trousers he had worn the previous day and it just happened to be on such a day that his Master asked him what the rules were. Because of his problem, he couldn't answer his Master aloud and not having his paper with the rules on with him had earned him one of his worst punishments ever.

Harry took the paper out of his pocket now and read over it again – he knew it by heart but it still helped to go over it every now and again.

The second most important rule stood out to him and Harry read over it repeatedly.

**Remember your five "P's"**  
Proper Preparation Prevents Pitiable Proceedings

Harry shuddered as he thought about the times he had not 'Prepared' himself or his Master properly and suffered the consequences.

A shadow fell over him and Harry looked up, then he gulped. His Master did not look pleased!

"Just what exactly is so important that you would rather give your attention to than listen to me?"

Shivering at the furious tone, Harry lowered his head to his chest while presenting the paper to his Master.

Cool fingers snatched the paper from his hand and Harry dared not move.

Severus read over the paper with a scowl on his face. A snarl worked its way from his throat but Severus didn't care, not even when the boy flinched violently back.

Most of the monsters who where at the Malfoy mansion the previous evening liked to pick up boys from the muggle streets. It was just another way for them to confirm their superiority over the muggles. Damen, Severus knew, did not care who he took as his personal toy and from the way the boy acted, Severus knew he had been with Nott for at least half a year.

The _rules_written on the piece of paper in Severus's hands made his blood boil.

It was already despicable to take the innocence of such a young boy but to have him live by such strict rules was even worse.

The implications of the second rule was something Severus really did not want to think about – he knew Nott was vicious but to not even prepare someone, someone you penetrated on a regular basis was cruel beyond words.

If the boy was too ill or too tired to do the preparation himself, Severus knew in his gut that no preparation would take place.

Severus looked up at the boy and knew he would have to take things slow at the beginning. Starting with names…

"My name is Severus Snape. You may call me Sir. Master Snape would also be acceptable."

Waiting for the boy to reply in any way, by either stating his own name or at least acknowledging his statement, Severus was sorely disappointed when the boy said nothing.

"You are allowed to speak child."

Nothing.

Severus suppressed a growl but calmed himself and once again addressed the boy.

"I would appreciate it if you would answer me when I talk to you. It is rude to ignore other people when they are addressing you."

Severus stretched over the table to grab hold of the kettle – his tea was almost finished – but the boy quickly handed it over without Severus having to strain himself.

The boy shifted nervously and Severus realized he had yet to hear an answer from the boy.

Looking up, Severus could see color rising in the boy's cheeks but he received his answer to his puzzlement over that when the boy opened his mouth as if to say something but nothing came out.

Severus looked closely at the boy and the child repeated his actions, this time pointing at his throat as well while pulling his shoulders up and holding his hands palms up by his shoulders, as if to say, "I don't know what to do."

"You can't speak".

It was not really a question but the boy nodded nonetheless.

"Have you ever been able to speak?"

This time the boy seemed uncertain but he nodded his head with a puzzled look on his face.

"You were very young when you lost your voice and are thus not certain if you were able to speak or not."

The boy nodded his head this time and Severus suppressed another snarl.

"I will see if there's anything I can do about that. In the meantime, there are things I will need to tell you, about myself and the world I live in."

Severus could see the puzzled frown on the boy's face and was for a moment thankful that the boy could not speak but then he scolded himself for the thought. No one deserved that.

"What I am about to tell you will sound strange, crazy and as far-fetched as any story you have ever heard. It is, however, the truth.

I am a Potions Master and a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My mother was a witch and my father a muggle. Muggle is the term used for people with no magical abilities, people like you. When I turned eleven, I received a letter from Hogwarts, which invited me to study at the school where I then learned how to be a wizard and qualified after seven years of studying.

The reason I am telling you is that I have no idea how long you will be staying here and people may sometimes just appear in the house either by apparating – appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye – or by floo – a powder used to transport you from one fireplace to another.

Most of them will not harm you in any way, shape or form. However, people like Lucius Malfoy – I believe you know him, he also has access to the house and it will be best to stay clear of him.

Now, I am going to work on some potions that the Mediwitch at the school will need by September. You may wander around the house – not that there is much to see – and you may read any of the books on the bottom two shelves of that bookcase over there. The other shelves have wards on it that will prevent you from even touching them so you won't be able to read any of them."

With that, Severus swept out of the room. Such a blessing, he thought to himself, no interruptions or questions.

* * *

Harry stood stock still after his Master left the room. Confused by everything the man said, Harry shook his head a bit, but knew better than to try to convey his confusion.

Most of what the man had said did not make any sense to him but Harry did understand the basics. Stay in the house and read. Harry loved reading so he had no problem with that order and quickly made his way to the shelves at which his Master had pointed.

On the bottom shelves there were mostly novels of the muggle variety. Harry liked that word. Muggle, it had quite a nice ring to it. The second row however contained books that Harry was certain he would never find in normal bookshops; books about potions, charms, transfigurations – whatever that was – and many more.

Deciding to indulge in his curiosity, Harry took one of the charms books off the second shelve and made himself comfortable on the floor next to the bookcase.

Time passed by without him noticing and Harry was startled from his readings when a shadow fell over him. Gulping he looked up into the fathomless black eyes of his Master. He tried to decipher the man's expression but failed, the man's face was absolutely blank.

"It is time for lunch, follow me."

Harry cringed as he heard this – he would have to think of something to make that didn't take a lot of time. Harry knew what came next; displeased by not having his lunch ready in time - and even worse now that he had to come and collect Harry himself – his Master had the right to dole out any punishment he saw fit, and Harry knew it.

As he entered the kitchen, Harry quickly looked around for the fridge but could not see it anywhere.

Master Snape was looking at him with a bit of a frown but then the man's expression cleared again.

"You are not in any trouble for not making lunch. You should however keep a watch on the time and make sure you do not skip a meal. You are too thin to start with and I will not have you starving in my house."

Harry looked at the man with wide confused eyes but when the man pointed at one of the chairs, he took his seat.

A loud 'popping' sound startled Harry and he jumped in his seat when a strange looking creature appeared next to him. With the creature came some plates with various foods and two goblets that the little creature placed on the table.

Harry looked at the food on the table, then looked at the creature that had carried it in, looked at his Master and then down to his plate. He really had no idea what was going on but the smell of all the food made him realize how hungry he was.

With an arched brow, his Master started serving himself. After three minutes of uncomfortable silence his Master spoke.

"Well, what are you waiting for? The food will not jump into your plate no matter how much you might wish it. You have two perfectly fine hands, dish them up yourself."

Harry looked askance at his Master but after another pointed look at his plate and then at his hands, Harry took the hint and dished some food up for himself. Not a lot, mind, he was not supposed to eat a lot or he would gain weight and Masters did not like fat boys.

A sigh came from across the table but Harry did not raise his eyes from his plate. If there were something his Master was not happy with, Harry was sure he would know soon enough. He wondered if his new Master also had a belt with teeth glued to it…

"I have to finish the potion I started this morning, you may once again either read or explore the house but remember the two rooms you are not allowed in."

* * *

Harry watched his Master leave the room and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

He really liked it alone in the room, any room. When his Master wasn't in the room, it was less likely for him to receive punishment for something. It never stopped the punishments but at least he knew nothing would happen _right then_.

The air in the library felt a bit different from that morning, almost as if it was welcoming him back. Shaking the feeling off as his imagination – he was a bit nutty but not _that_crazy! – Harry made his way back to his charms book and continued reading.

Master Severus called him a muggle, Harry remembered, but still, the prospect of doing something as amazing as _magic_fueled his determination to try it himself.

Looking over the page in the book again, Harry read the charm once again before closing his eyes. He practiced the wand movement in the air – not that he knew what a wand was but it couldn't be anything bad, could it? – and then repeated the words of the charm in his mind as clearly as he could.

_Wingardium Leviosa_

Taking another deep breath, Harry slowly opened his eyes and didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved to see that absolutely nothing happened.

The book said it was a levitation charm – once again, Harry did not know exactly what it meant – but other than that, the book didn't say much except the incantation and wand movements.

Harry thought wand movement might mean how fast or slow or how flowing or jerky the movement was but he couldn't be sure.

As for levitation, Harry had no idea what it meant but as it was in one of the books he could to read, he knew it couldn't be anything too bad. He also knew he had heard the word before so he was pretty sure it was a muggle word.

So, now he had his answer to whether or not he really was a muggle. Disappointed but not really surprised by the outcome, Harry returned to his reading.

He could always continue to wish and dream, couldn't he?

The thought of hiding his scar had given him a bit of hope that maybe, just maybe he was also a wizard and not merely a muggle. After this little exercise however, where he used the knowledge he got from a book, something that was fact, something that other wizards and witches used, something that should _work_, after this he had no doubts. His 'scar hiding' ability was most probably, he realized, something that really did make him a freak as his uncle always told him.

A week after Master Snape had taken him from the Malfoy mansion, Harry was still living with the man.

He could see that his presence did not please to the man, but was thankful that his Master did not turn him away.

He had worked through the charms book he read the first few days there and Harry was currently busy with the Potions text. The Charms book contained a lot of theoretical knowledge about the history of charms and the way spells were first developed. The potions book on the other hand contained mostly rules and regulations about Potions ingredients and 'The complex and intricate art of potions making'.

There were many facts about the consistency of cut ingredients, the level of succulence against dryness of the ingredients as well as the timing of stirs. Not that Harry understood even half of the contents in the book!

It made for an interesting read nonetheless.

There was nothing in the book about the level of 'magical power' necessary for the preparation of a potion, and that fact appealed to him. Was it possible for him to make a potion? A muggle? If he ever worked up the courage to ask his Master, he would know, but not before.

"I am pleased to see that you are at least doing something productive with your time – though you will not be able to benefit from your newly gained knowledge, I am certain your vocabulary has at least improved - though it is doubtful."

Harry had gotten used to his Master's way of speaking and the hurtful words did not affect him. Nodding his head in acknowledgement of the man's statement, Harry quickly closed the book and stood. His Master never sought him out without reason so Harry knew there was a cause for the man's presence.

"My godson will be joining us for dinner; I believe you have met him, Draco Malfoy."

It really should not have surprised him as much as it did but Harry could not stop the instinctive flinch the name caused. Not Draco, no, but Malfoy.

"Yes, Lucius Malfoy is his father. Draco however, is not his father and you will do good to remember that."

The chastising words made Harry lower his head while he nodded his understanding.

"Good. If possible, do not let Draco know about your background, that your Master was Damen Nott or that you are a muggle. He will not be pleased with this knowledge."

Harry could hear in his Master's voice that the man himself did not welcome those facts, and he ducked his head in shame. He had really hoped that he was also magical and could therefore benefit his Master in one way if no other. It puzzled Harry that his Master had yet to 'invite' him to his bed but he would not let his guard down. One never knew with a Master.

"I have devised a temporary solution to your little _problem_." Spoken as if something vile had lodged itself in his throat, Master Snape looked down at Harry with a sneer.

This time the words actually hurt. Not that Harry would show it of course, but it was unmistakable what the pang he felt was.

Most people he knew blamed him for his own condition. He himself felt that way most of the time but sometimes, sometimes he could convince himself that _he _was not the one to blame. That Master Snape felt the same so did not come as a real surprise but it still hurt!

"Hold this to your temples. I will perform a charm that will connect the quill to your thoughts and when you direct your thoughts to the quill, it will write it down. It is a lot quicker than having you writing everything out, and will at least be legible."

Harry knew better than to react in any way other than thankful and nodded his head in appreciation.

Severus watched the boy as he tested the quill's reliability. It was an insult to Severus's spell casting abilities but as the boy was a muggle and could not hope to comprehend their way of life, Severus let the incident slide.

It had been a week of blessed silence and he could sometimes forget that the boy was even there. Silence such as he had never experience before when working with children fell between them every time they were in the same room. Not that it was very surprising, considering the boy was mute, but Severus had to admit, if only to himself, that it was unnerving to see a child that quiet.

A very unfamiliar feeling crept up in him and Severus savagely squashed it down before it could overwhelm him. So what if he did not know the boy's name, the boy had only been there for a week and they rarely occupied the same room. When they found themselves in the same room, Severus called him boy or he just started talking – no one else was in the house after all.

The more he squashed the feeling down the more his thoughts focused on that issue.

He would have to ask the boy his name – if only to calm that inner voice that refused to shut up!

Draco would arrive in less than an hour so Severus quickly made his way to the brat's room. Thinking about what a disaster could transpire if his godson arrived and Severus was not able to introduce the two boys by name... Severus shuddered at the thought.

Knocking three times, Severus waited five seconds before opening the door. They would have to work something else out for a situation like this. If the boy dressed while someone knocked on the door… Severus could just imagine the awkward scene.

The boy sat cross-legged on his bed with a potions book open on his lap. After the third time he found the boy falling asleep over the book in the library, he had granted the boy permission to take the book to his room.

"Draco will be arriving in less than an hour and I will introduce the two of you. It would certainly be beneficial if I knew your name."

There was no chance that Severus was going to apologize for not asking this question before. The boy would just have to live with it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Severus could see the charmed quill jump to life and write something down on a piece of parchment. The boy made a move to get off the bed but Severus waved him aside and strode over to the desk where the quill had dropped about three seconds after the boy directed his thoughts at it.

The parchment had only four words on it:

_My name is Harry_

Severus scowled at the piece of parchment as if blaming it for the lack of information.

"That did not help much boy. What is your surname?"

The mere idea of calling the boy 'Harry' set his teeth on edge. 'Harry' was the Potter brat's name. One 'Harry' in his life would already be one too many and he resolved himself to call both by their surnames.

The quill started scratching again but Severus did not even finish reading the sentence.

_I don't know what my sur…_was enough for Severus to know that he would not receive the answer he wanted.

"Then I suggest you come up with a surname for yourself within the next ten minutes for I will not introduce you to my godson as 'Harry Nobody'."

The quill wrote out _Yes Master Snape_and Severus snarled at it in disgust.

He should have left the option of calling him 'Master Snape' out of their discussion earlier that week but it did no good to cry over spilt milk.

Even though he had given the boy permission to call him 'Master Snape', the reason for that was not what the boy would think. Severus vowed to himself never to take on a child as a submissive and he was grateful for the fact that he had never _heard_that phrase directed at him by one so young.

* * *

Harry forced his hands to keep still as Draco Malfoy entered the room. He would not fidget! The boy was the split image of his father, long slender neck, an aristocratic look about him, and white-blonde hair and grey eyes with specks of silver.

"Draco, this is my house guest for the foreseeable future, Harry Patterson. Mr Patterson, meet my godson, Draco Malfoy."

The blonde stuck his hand out and Harry hesitated a moment. A sharp look from his Master made him grasp the hand in a strong grip.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I expect we will be seeing a lot of each other." The Malfoy heir sent a questioning glance at his godfather who nodded his head once.

After a minute of uncomfortable silence, Master Snape led the two of them to the dining room.

"Do not take offence Draco, that Mr Patterson did not return your greetings. The fault lies with the fact that he is mute."

Harry ducked his head in shame as both his dinner companions looked at him. He hated being the center of attention and even more so now. Having his Master's undivided attention in such a setting was unnerving to say the least.

Dinner went by in strained silence, only broken by the clink of silverware on plates. As the three made their way to the living-room area, Harry could hear Malfoy speaking in low tones to his Master.

"Mother and Father will not be home until the early morning hours. I am to return by midnight."

Relief flooded through Harry as he realized the boy would not be spending the night. Just the thought of sleeping under the same roof as a Malfoy (again), sent shivers down his spine.

"I will endeavor to have you home no later than 23:30. We would not want your parents to reconsider their decision of allowing you to come visit when you wish so."

Godfather and godson continued their conversation as they took their seats and there was soon a feeling of calm ease settling over the room.

Two of the occupants conversing easily with an air of familiarity hanging over them while the third sat on the floor next to the bookcase. Harry had never felt the pang of regret as strong as he did then. 'Would it even have made a difference?' he thought to himself. If I had a voice and could contribute to the conversation, would it have made a difference to how I feel and to this setting?

The answer was quite easy to see when he looked over at his Master and Malfoy. No, it would have made absolutely no difference at all. After all, what difference could a freak like him make?

The low murmur of conversation grated on Harry's nerves and he just wished that he could have his blessed silence back. When it was just his Master and himself, silence was almost a given; now though, now the hum of voices was distracting to say the least.

Harry imagined himself alone in the library, as it had been for a week. He imagined the silence that was only broken by the pattering of dishes far off in the distance. Silence wrapped around him in a comfortable blanket, Harry didn't even realize when his thoughts turned into reality, and all sounds of conversation were cut off from around him.

* * *

Severus leaned back in his chair as the latest topic of conversation depleted itself. As competent a conversationalist his godson might be, he still had the mind of a child and his interests could not hold Severus's attention for more than an hour.

A look at the bookcase confirmed that his charge was still deeply engrossed in some reading or another. A sharp pang went through Severus but he ignored it. There was nothing upsetting about the setting so why should he feel anything about it?

After another attempt at conversation, Draco finally gave up on him and Severus could see that the boy was contemplating going over to the other young boy in the room.

Standing up, Severus strode over to Patterson and was just about to snap the boy's name out – if only to see him jump – when he felt the distinct hum of magic in the air. A closer step to the boy and silence enveloped Severus. The shuffling of Draco's feet – something that would have earned a harsh look from his father – cut off as Severus stepped closer to the boy on the floor.

Bright green eyes blinked up at him and Severus stepped back just in time to avoid collision with the boy's head. The brat had the tendency to jump to attention whenever Severus approached him – something that was most probably dilled into his head.

Giving the brat a hard look, Severus skimmed the boy's surface thoughts. He vowed not to delve deeper into his mind unless absolutely necessary, but thankfully it was not. The boy did not even realize he was doing magic subconsciously. The silencing charm was the result of a deep wish for silence.

"We will have a long talk tomorrow Mr Patterson. For now, go wash up and get ready for bed. You look dead on your feet." And it was the truth. The boy had a glassy eyed look about him and even as he walked from the room, a huge yawn stretched over his face. Severus wondered for how long the boy had maintained the silencing charm as it could be very taxing, especially on one so young and wandless as well.

Draco gave him a questioning look but Severus ignored it and resigned himself to another hour of his godson's inane babbling.

**End Chapter 1**

For those of you who don't know me yet, English is NOT my first language. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes!

Please let me know what you think! Reviews always helps me with the development of a fic. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

_"We will have a long talk tomorrow Mr Patterson. For now, go wash up and get ready for bed. You look dead on your feet." And it was the truth. The boy had a glassy eyed look about him and even as he walked from the room, a huge yawn stretched over his face. Severus wondered for how long the boy had maintained the silencing charm as it could be very taxing, especially on one so young and wandless as well._

Draco gave him a questioning look but Severus ignored it and resigned himself to another hour of his godson's inane babbling.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Harry nervously fiddled with the washing cloth as he finished cleaning the table, sinks and counters.

Master Snape had sounded really serious the previous night about their talk and Harry dreaded what it could mean. Was Master Snape going to send him away? Did his Master not want him anymore? Was it because he was a muggle?

Questions kept rushing through his mind but Harry could find no answer.

"Stop pacing Mr Patterson! Sit down, eat and then we can talk."

Plates appeared on the table before them and after his Master served himself – Harry still tried to do so for his Master, but he always received a harsh glare for his efforts – Harry served himself.

"Something came to my attention last night Mr Patterson, something concerning you."

The tight knot in his stomach clenched tighter and Harry put his knife down as his hands started shaking uncontrollably.

"It came to my attention last night that you are not a mere muggle as we first thought."

Harry looked up in shock at the words but he quickly lowered his head again. No, he was a muggle, he had already done a test on himself and there was no doubt in his mind that he was a muggle.

"Do NOT contradict me on this Mr Patterson! I can see it in your face, you may not be able to speak but your actions speak louder than words. I know of which I speak and a mere boy such as you do not have the same understanding as adults. You enveloped yourself in a silencing charm last night while Mr Malfoy and I conversed on the other side of the room. You did not even realize that you put up the charm, and only because I stepped inside your silencing bubble did I realize it."

Harry thought hard on the night before but realized that his Master was correct, he could not remember doing anything different or experiencing anything different.

"It seems Mr Patterson, that you are a muggle-born. I do not recall seeing your name on the Hogwarts student list and I went through all the names of the coming first years for the next five years. I am afraid your name was not on it. The only Harry on that list that I recall is Harry Potter, the celebrity of the Wizarding World."

The sneer in his Master's voice made it clear that he felt nothing but contempt for this Harry Potter.

Harry thought back hard on his first four years of life, three of which was spent at the Dursley's but could not remember ever hearing a name other than 'boy', 'freak' or 'it' directed at him. When his uncle sold him to Master Damen, Harry overheard his uncle say that if he remembered correctly the brat's name is Harry, Henry, or something like that – his uncle wasn't sure. His nightmares sometimes contained a woman with red hair that screamed his name – Harry. Master Damen called him Harry, Henry, or any other name that he wished. The name 'Harry' was the only one that meant anything to _him_ though, and he called himself Harry in his thoughts – no matter the other names his Master called him.

"Admittance to Hogwarts is decided by a magical object called 'The Goblet of Acceptance'. Most pure-blood families have been attending Hogwarts for hundreds of years and admittance for them is automatic, no matter if the name is on the list or not. Muggle born students and Half-blood students – children with one magical parent and one muggle – is admitted by the decision of the Goblet."

The brief hope that flared inside him died as his Master continued his explanation. He might have a bit of magic in him but apparently not enough to earn him entrance to Hogwarts.

"There is, however, a small school in Hogsmeade that is open to all children. You will attend the school, you will work hard, you will achieve the highest marks you can and you will behave yourself at all times.

You may decide now, I could drop you off in the streets of London and you can make your living there or you can go to this school, earn good grades and make a name for yourself. No one is going to make the decision for you; you need to learn to look out for yourself. I am not going to coddle you, I am not going to play the role of 'father' for you, no matter your delusions, and I am not your Master. You will do this for yourself and for no other. Do this and you will one day look back, proud of what you've accomplished or decide against it now and live forever in fear and shadows."

Harry gaped after the man as his Master who was _not_ his Master swept out of the room.

He really didn't know what to do and having everything poured on him all at once brought him to his knees. Shaking with confusion and despair, Harry curled in on himself and willed himself into a deep sleep. Maybe when he woke up this would all have been a huge nightmare. 

* * *

Severus shook his head as he returned to the living room where he had left the child. The boy's thin frame still shook with silent sobs, even in his sleep, and Severus sighed as he flicked his wand. Levitating the boy to his own room and bed, Severus thought back on what he had said and how he could possibly have done it differently. No, he would not do it any other way, the boy needed to learn that no matter what life dealt at him, he would have to stand up for himself and learn to depend on himself.

Should the boy decide to go through with this insane plan of Severus – which Severus refused to think or hope upon – then they would have to decide on where the boy would stay. The best and most logical conclusion would be with Severus at Hogwarts. The boy can walk to school every day and back, he would not be living on his own and Severus would be able to keep an eye on him.

Severus just had to get Albus to agree to this insane plan. 

* * *

Harry looked around him in awe. Master Snape (Harry still had trouble with the thought of _not_ calling the man Master) walked beside him with a menacing glare that cleared the path in front of them more efficiently than anything Harry had ever seen.

The shops on either side of them were open and people rushed from one shop to another in order to get their last bit of school shopping out of the way.

"Come, and keep close. I do not appreciate the multitude of people in this alley so we will make our way over to Nocturne Alley. It is a most disreputable place and if you do not wish to come to harm then you will stay close to me. We will first collect you a wand then deal with the rest of the purchases."

Harry nodded and kept as close to his Master as possible.

The choosing of a wand or rather, as the wand maker pointed out – "IF you are found worthy of a wand it will choose you for its master and none other" – went far quicker than Harry would have thought. He was now the proud owner of a nine and a half inch wand with the scale of a basilisk as the core, and the wood of a tree found most commonly in Africa – the Adansonia digitata, more commonly known as the Baobab tree. The wand was very stiff but as it sent a warm feeling through Harry whenever he touched it, he didn't mind much.

Purchasing the other necessities took a bit longer but finally Harry had everything he would need and Master Snape led him back to the Leaky Cauldron where they then proceeded to floo back to his Master's place.

Taking all his purchases in hand, Harry made his way to his room and quickly organized his things in piles before he proceeded to put it in different compartments of his trunk.

Harry wondered how he would ever be able to pay his Master back for everything but as the man refused the only offer of payment Harry could make, he would just have to think of something, and soon. 

* * *

Soft voices from one of the other rooms brought Harry back from his musings but he did not have time to wonder about it as his Master stepped into his room.

"I have a form here that I need you to look over. Albus pulled a few strings in the ministry and before you now lays a document that will grant me guardianship over you. Two people who will act as witnesses are waiting for us so if you wish for me to act as guardian then it is best to read that over quickly and not keep the others waiting.

With me as your guardian, any and all decisions pertaining to you will fall to me. If something should happen to you it will be my responsibility to _care_ for you."

It was clear just what his Master thought of this _care_ and Harry could not fathom why the man would consent to do this if it was not what he wanted.

"You will also be allowed to stay at Hogwarts because you will be my ward, my charge, and no one will be able to turn you away from the place where I live. You will, however, still go to school in the village."

The changes life threw at him came too fast to comprehend but Harry had little choice in the matter. He had no alternative to fall back on and though not pleasant, his life had been better since Master Snape took him in than ever before.

One thing rang clear in his mind: Master Snape wanted him; Master Snape would be his guardian and take care of him.

A big smile split his face but it dimmed by the look Master Snape gave him. Harry didn't know what to think. He knew by experience that no one liked him, no one wanted him; why then, would Master Snape consent to be his guardian if not for 'liking' him?

"I repeat Mr Patterson, I will _not_ coddle you, I am not your friend nor your confidant. I am here to look after your physical wellbeing, nothing more."

Confusion clearly showed on his face as Harry followed his Master to the other room. He knew that Master Snape was not his friend for Harry did not deserve friends but what in the world did 'coddle' and 'confidant' mean? He would take his Master's word for it but he wished he knew what it meant.

Entering the kitchen, Harry came face to face with the oldest man he had ever seen. Not that it meant much, as he knew no one other than his relatives and the people he had seen in Malfoy manner.

The man had a short graying beard; his hair also had streaks of grey between the black strands and eyes as black as his Master's, pierced his as they locked eyes. Harry could not look down no matter how hard he tried. After what he learned from Master Snape, that magic was real, he had no doubt that the man was using it on him now.

Harry couldn't tell how long they stayed that way but eventually the man moved back and broke the eye contact.

"He is worthy of your guardianship, nephew."

Harry looked at his Master as the old man finished speaking and could clearly see the resemblance now. Master Snape did not look pleased with what his uncle said and Harry did not have to wonder why for long.

"Thank you, uncle, for that piece of irrelevant information. I did not ask you here to ascertain the brat's _worth_. As soon as you sign these documents, I will be acting guardian of the boy. You are here to act as witness, nothing more."

A woman stepped out from behind the old man and laid a hand briefly on his Master's arm. Harry could see that the man did not appreciate the gesture as his Master stiffened as soon as the woman stepped close enough to touch.

"We will witness this binding of guardian and charge. Do not mind your uncle, Severus; you know how he is. He will not change his ways just to suit your needs. If this gives him some peace of mind, let him be."

Harry watched his Master closely as the man nodded. He could see that his Master was still unsettled after the brief touch but a scowl quickly reappeared on the man's face and Harry lowered his eyes.

"Mr Patterson, do you consent to the acting guardianship of my nephew?"

The question, spoken softly by the woman next to his Master, made Harry looked up at her. Although also old, she did not have the same look of age and experience as the man – who Harry now guessed was her husband.

"A nod and your signature on the document would suffice Mr Patterson."

Harry glanced at his Master but the man's face was the blank mask he knew all too well by now.

Stepping up to the table, Harry looked down at the documents scattered there. He could read, a bit, but the words there were mostly beyond his comprehension. Master Severus would be his legal guardian, that was all Harry knew, and it was enough. No one else wanted him, he would end up on the street – where his Master thought he came from – and knew he would not make it past the first month.

Here, he would have a home, a place to sleep, to eat. A Master he still owed his life to but who wanted nothing from him in return. If nothing else, he would sign his name on the documents because he owed it to his Master.

Grabbing the feather sticking out of an inkpot, Harry looked it over with a frown but as he had no other writing things, he lowered it to the strange paper in front of him and signed his name with messy blotches in-between. Looking at his Master for confirmation, Harry startled a bit at what the man said next.

"You will be known as Harry Patterson from hereon out. Though guardian, I am not adopting you or changing your name - nor surname. You chose 'Patterson' as your surname and now it will become legal."

Suppressing a disappointed sigh, Harry signed his surname as Patterson. He would have loved it if his Master gave him permission to use his surname but knew better than to complain.

The old man and woman signed their own names and congratulated Harry and then his Master. Why _he_ was being congratulated, he had no idea but he would not ask questions.

Master Snape saw the two visitors to the door, gave Harry a hard look, and then proceeded to his workroom.

Harry did not know what to do or feel. He thought he would feel different after such a huge change in his life but he felt nothing, nothing but confusion and apprehension for what the future held.

The bedroom walls seemed to be closing in on him as Harry lay listlessly on the bed. What would he have to do to repay his Master for everything? What could he, Harry Patterson possibly do to earn his keep?

His Master's words from a few days back rang clear in his head; _earn good grades and make a name for yourself. No one is going to make the decision for you; you need to learn to look out for yourself. I am not going to coddle you, I am not going to play the role of 'father' for you, no matter your delusions, and I am not your Master. You will do this for yourself and for no other. Do this and you will one day look back, proud of what you've accomplished or decide against it now and live forever in fear and shadows._

He would earn the good grades his Master demanded. He would do everything in his power to please the man, to one day be able to look at the man and see pride in his eyes; pride for him, Harry. Master Snape would see, he would see that Harry was worthy of having him for a Master. If doing his best did not please the man, then nothing would.

With that resolution clearly in mind, Harry closed his eyes and was asleep within minutes. 

* * *

Hogwarts School was everything and more than Harry imagined. The hallways filled with paintings that moved awed Harry, and suits of armor that stood guard filled him with apprehension.

Master Snape led the way up to the Headmaster's office and Harry had to jog from time to time to catch up with the man after some of the paintings made him pause a bit too long.

A huge stone figure leaped aside as Master Snape barked something at it and Harry hurried to follow the man before the passage closed again.

The office they entered was huge, Harry looked wide-eyed at all the paintings and the strange but beautiful bird perched on the back of a chair. The chair in question turned a bit and Harry could not help but gape a bit at the man seated there. His Master's uncle might seem old but he was nothing compared to the man seated before them now.

Blue eyes that seemed to pierce into his soul locked with his and Harry diverted his gaze before the old man could trap him in another staring game such as with his Master's uncle.

Harry could see a slight narrowing of the old man's eyes as he looked at the bird again but could not bring himself to worry overly much. His Master was there and he would protect him.

"Albus, this is Mr Patterson, I mentioned his situation to you. He will move into my quarters with me and will attend Hogsmeade School. If you foresee any problem with this arrangement please tell me now."

The old man regarded his Master another minute before turning his attention back on him. Harry squirmed under the gaze but he refused to look up.

"Very well Severus. How old is this young man if I may ask?"

Harry startled at the question and looked at his Master to see if the man knew the answer, he sure didn't.

Master Severus's eye twitched a bit and it was the only indication Harry received that his Master was also startled by the question.

"I am afraid that you will have to ask Mr Patterson himself as I do not know."

Harry looked at his Master with apprehension. He did not know how old he was and dreaded the consequences of shaming his Master in front of his employer.

"Well then, Mr Patterson, how old are you?"

Panic swelled within him and Harry took a step back but he knew better than to run away. Looking towards his Master, Harry gave the man a helpless look and after a minute of staring at the man, Harry had to lower his eyes. Comprehension showed on his Master's face but rage replaced it and Harry could not look at the man for a moment longer.

"It seems we will never know Albus as Mr Patterson himself does not seem to know."

His Master's voice was cold and cut through Harry like a knife. Barely suppressed rage became clear in his voice and Harry wanted nothing more than to run away.

"From the look of him, I would hazard a guess that he is eight or nine, definitely no more than ten years old."

The old man nodded his agreement with his Master and Harry forced himself to stop his nervous fidgeting.

"I agree Severus. For a moment, he reminded me of someone else but a crucial feature is missing and the age does not match. You may move his belongings in with you but he cannot disturb the students of my school in any manner. He will have his friends from Hogsmeade, friends who are his own age. For his protection and those under my care, no interaction with the Hogwarts student body will be allowed."

Another twitch of the eye let Harry know that his Master was not pleased with this rule but with a nod, his Master acquiesced.

"Get yourselves settled in your rooms Severus and then join me for lunch, there is a matter of utmost importance that we need to discuss."

Another nod and his Master pushed him out the door. Harry stumbled a bit but righted himself quickly and ran to keep up with his Master. It was clear that his Master was not in a good mood and Harry would do nothing to worsen it even more. 

* * *

"Meddling… damnable… old coot…"

Harry lost track of all the names his Master mumbled as they entered a spacious room with only a few lit candles.

Though trying his best not to worsen his Master's mood, Harry could see that the man was near breaking point as they finally put their things down.

"The door behind you leads to your room. You will keep it neat and clean at all times. The bathroom, kitchen and sitting room are open to you at all times as with my house. You will not enter my room or the workroom under any circumstances. Make yourself some lunch, I will not be joining you, as I have to meet with the Headmaster – meddling old man that he is."

Harry nodded his head as his Master paced the room in apparent agitation. 

* * *

Severus cursed Albus for being a meddling old fool. He knew that it was not only the Headmaster himself that would not allow his new charge free reign of the castle – the board of governors could put them both out if they saw any need – but that Albus would not even allow the boy to interact with any of the students was going too far.

The boy posed no threat to the students, as they were more experienced, and it could only be good for the boy to have a few friends in the school, but no, Albus forbade it.

The Headmaster's behavior did not really surprise Severus as he knew how Albus viewed people. Everyone, no matter the age or gender, was a pawn to the Headmaster and with the kind of power the old man had over the wizarding world, there was nothing Severus could do that would make any difference.

Severus shook himself from the thoughts as the gargoyles to Albus's office came in sight. The headmaster had lunch ready for him as he took his seat and Severus resigned himself to a long discussion.

The meal passed in silence and Severus was glad that Albus knew him well enough not to engage in small talk.

"Do not let this new responsibility of a charge monopolize your time from your other tasks and responsibilities. You do not know the boy very well and know nothing of what he might do – young as he is, he could still be a danger to the students in my school. I hold you fully responsible for his actions."

Albus's voice was hard and cold as ice but his words came as no surprise to Severus. The man might be the representative of the 'Light Force' in the war but it did not mean that he was kind or compassionate.

"Of course Albus. The boy will behave himself and will pose no threat to the students of this school. Now, may we proceed to the reason you brought me here?"

Nothing could ease the restrictions on his charge in this school and Severus refused to debate over it with the headmaster.

Albus gave him another long look before nodding his acceptance.

"I need you to go to number 4 Privet Drive, today if possible. Hagrid went to fetch Mr Potter yesterday but he was not there. The relatives denied any knowledge of the boy. You may use any means necessary to obtain the information we seek."

Severus knew that the headmaster was referring to Legilimency; he gave a tight nod. Legilimency was not something to take lightly but Severus could see the necessity in the matter.

"Very well Albus. I presume I am to bring the boy here when I find him."

There was no '_**if** I find him_', for the headmaster would accept no excuse if Severus was to return empty handed. He knew that all too well. Failure from anyone in the Order was out of the question, for the protection granted to him or her from the headmaster would be lost – be it protection from the ministry or life itself.

"That would be advisable. Thank you Severus, I will expect the boy in my office by tomorrow evening. I do so hope that the poor lad is alright."

Severus snorted at the last sentence. _Of course you hope the brat is alright Albus, for if he is not then you have lost your most important weapon in this war._

Severus did not put voice to his thoughts though, for that would be foolish beyond words. Giving a stiff goodbye to Albus, Severus left the office to take on this new mission.

The Potter brat would certainly feel his wrath when he found him.

**End Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**SickPuppy:** Harry didn't get the 'twin wand' because it would have given his identity away (though he himself doesn't know it). Dumbledore would have found out and then all hell would break loose. :)

_Severus did not put voice to his thoughts though, for that would be foolish beyond words. Giving a stiff goodbye to Albus, Severus left the office to take on this new mission._

The Potter brat would certainly feel his wrath when he found him.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Houses of exact likeness lined both sides of the road. Severus walked with determination and purpose towards number four Privet drive. Various scenarios played through his mind of how this day could end. Hagrid was a good man and Severus knew that if there were anything _to_ find, he would have. That the man returned to Hogwarts without the brat caused Severus a measure of concern.

Sufficient proof and explanation could lesson the Headmaster's disappointment and anger if Severus was to fail in this mission but he would certainly feel the consequences of such an outcome.

Striding up to the door, Severus knocked purposefully and waited impatiently for someone to open the door.

A young boy, about twice as big as his age would suggest, opened the door. Severus could see from the boyish features that the brat was around eleven or twelve, while his body was big enough to fit two of his age.

"I am here to speak to your parents, get them."

The boy flinched a bit at the cold tone of his voice but quickly straightened and held the door between the two in a futile attempt to protect himself.

"Dad! Someone are here for you looking!"

Severus flinched at both the loud voice and the mangling of the English language. Did the boy not go to school?

Thundering footsteps heard from within the caused Severus to look towards the stairs as a man who could only be the boy's father appeared on them.

"What do you want?"

"Mr Dursley, I presume?"

The man gave him a suspicious look before he nodded.

"I am here to enquire about your nephew, Harry Potter."

Severus worked very hard to keep any infliction from his voice, lest the other man realize that he could not care less what happened to Harry Potter.

A blank look crossed the man's face at the name before a puzzled frown appeared.

"I do not have a nephew named Harry Potter. I don't have a nephew by any other name either."

_That would explain the blank look at the name._ Severus thought to himself. Memory altering spells were never foolproof and in this case, the trigger to any kind of reaction was the name 'Harry Potter'.

"You have never heard of Harry Potter before?"

The blank look appeared again at the name, before clearing and becoming a frown.

"There was a man here earlier this week, asking about the same boy. I don't know anyone by that name."

Severus could see it was the truth. The man had no idea who Harry Potter was and definitely did not know about magic.

Brandishing his wand, Severus watched the man closely but the only change was a slightly curious expression that appeared, quickly replaced by a frown.

_"Legilimence"_

Severus skimmed the man's surface thoughts, quickly found 'Hagrid's visit', and then moved on, a bit deeper into the man's mind.

The last few year's thoughts were easy enough to access, if a bit _scattered_. When Severus came to the memories of seven years back however, he met with a block – further encouraging his belief that someone had tampered with the man's memories.

Using a bit more force, Severus pushed past the block and couldn't help but flinch a bit at the memories that assaulted his mind. Pain and fear lingered thick in the air as a huge man towered over the small form of a shaking boy. The boy had bruises littering his body and a raw looking slash across his left cheek. Severus thought a knife had inflicted the mark and it was about three days old at the time.

The boy cowered back as the uncle advanced and Severus felt something stir in him that he had never before encountered – helplessness.

He could do nothing but watch as the man backhanded the boy and then kicked the small body into a cupboard under the stairs.

Rage and nausea waged for dominance in him but Severus squashed both feelings down. After a few more minutes of searching, Severus was no closer to an answer than when he started and he retreated from the man's mind.

The man staggered back as Severus released the spell but other than wincing at what Severus knew would be a painful headache, the man displayed no outward sign that he had been affected by any of the memories Severus had discovered.

_The memory charm is blocking those years even now, after I uncovered them._ Severus could not say if he was pleased or enraged by this development. He wanted nothing more than to curse the man for abusing a child, a wizard child no less, but at the same time he was relieved that the man knew nothing of the boy and could thus not search for him. Severus shuddered at the thought of what would have happened to the brat had he stayed with his relatives all these years.

_But where on earth is the brat?_ Severus thought to himself.

There was no doubt in Severus's mind that a wizard or witch had taken the boy, but whom or where was anyone's guess.

Thinking back on the block, Severus knew that the magical signature was familiar to him but he could not place it now. He would investigate it further when he was back at Hogwarts, for now though, he would have to find out as much as possible from these people.

The woman was the next to encounter Severus's wand and he was not at all surprised to encounter the same block as with her husband.

Severus was disgusted at the way the woman treated the Potter brat and almost gagged when he came across a memory of baby Potter having his diaper changed after three days of wearing the same nappy. The smell as well as the damage done to the little boy's bum and legs, made Severus retreat from the woman's mind.

Severus vowed to himself that he would one-day exact revenge on these people for what they did to an innocent little boy. It did not matter that he himself hated the brat; he would not have done what these people did.

The youngest Dursley looked at Severus with fear clearly written on his face – both his parents were walking around with blank expressions and did not answer to his calls.

Loath as he was to use 'Legillimence' on someone so young, Severus could not see any alternative.

Facing the boy, Severus once again uttered the spell and could not disguise his shock at the easy and 'block free' access to the brat's mind.

It became clear however, that the boy held no more answers than his parents did concerning Potter's whereabouts. The brat had returned from school one day to find his parents sitting calmly at the kitchen table, and when asked, denying any knowledge of a boy named Harry Potter.

The youngest Dursley had accepted it as a fact and thought that maybe his father had finally 'done away with the brat' as he always threatened.

Severus released the boy from a spell a bit more gently that he did the parents.

Suppressing a snarl at not obtaining the necessary information on the Potter brat, Severus bid the Dursley's goodbye – only receiving a vague answer from the boy as both parents were still staring off into space.

Severus spent the journey back to Hogwarts thinking about what to tell Albus. The headmaster would not be pleased with him, that was a given, he just hoped Albus would hear him out before turning him away.

The walk to the headmaster's office felt shorter than ever before and just as Severus stepped up the revolving stairs a thought that had plagued him since leaving the Dursley's became clear in his mind.

_There was no scar on the brat's forehead while he cowered from his uncle._ The memories from the woman and boy held a 'Potter with scar', while the uncle's had a 'scarless' Potter.

The revelation stopped him dead in his tracks and only one thought flashed through his mind as he entered Albus's office:

_It's Harry! That's why the signature was familiar; Damen took Harry Potter!_ Severus doubted the man knew who he had bought that day. 

* * *

It took all Severus's willpower to blank his expression and keep it that way as he told Albus of his night's findings.

The thought that Patterson could be Harry Potter filled him with a strange mix of emotions.

He did not like the brat – Patterson or Potter – but with both boy's he had found something that took the edge off his hatred. Both boys endured childhoods no one should ever even think about, much less experience.

If Patterson was Potter, Severus could not fathom how the boy could be as calm and reasonable as he was.

Albus interrogated Severus endlessly about his visit and in the end; Severus suggested the headmaster look at his memories in a pensieve.

It was tricky to alter a memory and even more so while under pressure but Severus worked carefully to merge the memory of a Potter without the scar with a Potter _with_ the scar. The uncle's towering frame lingered in his mind as if to taunt him and Severus suppressed the feelings welling inside him.

Watching the memory with Albus, Severus found himself intrigued by the headmaster's lack of reaction to the treatment of the boy. A sad look briefly crossed the old man's face but a frown and a look of concentration soon replaced it.

Severus watched him carefully to see if the headmaster recognized the magical signature, but the sigh of disappointment was answer enough.

"I will investigate this further Severus, thank you for sharing your memories; it did make up for the fact that you yourself did no further investigating of your own."

Severus nodded at the headmasters words and disappointed tone. He was not the least bit surprised that the headmaster was disappointed in him but it did surprise him that the man showed no other sign of being frustrated with the lack of useful information.

"Of course Albus, if that is all?"

"Yes, yes, better make sure your young charge did not blow your rooms up – Merlin knows what such a young boy could do if left to his own devices."

Severus snorted at that – it was something he himself would have said under any other circumstances.

Turning, Severus left the chuckling headmaster behind as he thought about what to do with this new development. 

* * *

The boy sat on the floor in front of the bookcase and as Severus entered the room, he jumped up with his head bowed.

Though Severus had not given him express permission to read these books as he had at his house, he was glad the boy felt comfortable enough to do so himself.

"You need not jump up every time I enter the room, Mr Patterson. Please, continue with your reading, Merlin knows kids your age need all the help they can get."

The boy complied at once and immersed himself in his reading again.

Severus studied the boy carefully. He could not detect any excessive use of magic around the boy but with careful inspection, he could feel a faint tingle of magic centered on the boy's forehead.

No doubt lingered in his mind as to the boy's identity and Severus could not help but marvel at the boy's unconscious use of magic.

To maintain any spell for longer than a few minutes took immense concentration but to maintain it nonstop for weeks if not months took both concentration and power.

"The school term starts tomorrow; do you have all your school things ready? Good, I will walk you to school in the morning but only this once, thereafter you will have to make your own way there."

The boy nodded and they spent the rest of the evening in silence – Harry reading and Severus preparing for the coming term.

Severus left the boy in his quarters as he made his way to the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. He would stay there the requisite time Albus asked for and then return to his charge. 

* * *

Severus shortened his strides a bit, as he realized the boy had trouble keeping up. The boy carried a small muggle type suitcase and though the boy refused his offer to carry the bag, he cast a lightening spell on it.

The boy looked a bit apprehensive about the new school and Severus could not blame him. He would explain to the teachers there about the boy's situation and though he doubted the teachers at the school would cause the boy any discomfort, children gave no thought to the consequences of their actions or words.

"Your teachers will help you with any trouble you might have and if any other problems should arise, let me know."

Harry nodded and Severus conceded to the thought of calling the boy 'Harry' until he decided to tell the boy himself that he was one of the most famous wizards in their world.

Calling the boy 'Patterson' while he knew it was 'Potter' would be more difficult to manage than simply calling him 'Harry'.

Explaining the situation to the teachers at the school, Severus left the boy to his first day at Wizarding School – or any school for that matter. 

* * *

Severus was surprised when the headmaster called him to his office a week after the school term started. It was not the summons itself that surprised him, but rather how long it took the headmaster to come back to him on the status of the 'Potter problem'.

"I am afraid that we have discovered nothing more on the whereabouts of Mr Potter. My investigators have all returned empty handed and most have become despondent and fear that there will be no positive end to this investigation."

The headmaster looked truly troubled about this but Severus kept the knowledge he had to himself.

"It is possible that one of Voldemort's Death Eaters is responsible for the boy's disappearance, if that is indeed the case then we will have to expect the worst."

Severus resisted the urge to tell the headmaster that he was stating the obvious.

"The boy is lost to us Severus, I fear we will have to accept the fact that the prophecy might indeed have been about Neville. The boy's parents _did_ defy Voldemort three times, and survived. Voldemort also marked him as an equal by orphaning the boy – I know it was Bellatrix that tortured his parents but it was still on Voldemort's orders."

It was clear to Severus that Albus was grasping at straws and he could not help but loathe the man for ruining the lives of children. That he had ruined Harry's life by leaving him with his despicable relatives was not enough, no, he had to go and ruin another young boy's life. Severus did not like the Longbottom boy – after one day in the same Potions lesson as the boy, Severus feared for his life – but even he would not wish this fate on the boy.

Severus bade Albus a quick goodbye but the headmaster was lost in thought and did not even hear him. 

* * *

The days passed with little excitement and Severus quickly became used to the fact that every night, after returning from his classes, Harry would sit on the floor by the bookcase, multiple books open in front of him. Harry's excitement over school and his subjects surprised Severus somewhat but he realized quickly that, as something new, Harry worked hard to do his best and was awed by even the most simplest of magic performed.

When Severus returned to his quarters late one Friday night after another discussion regarding Neville Longbottom with the headmaster, he found Harry fast asleep on the floor, a book still open on his half-crossed legs. The position looked very uncomfortable and without a second thought, Severus bent down and picked the boy up.

Though still very light for a boy his age, Harry had filled out a bit and was not as dangerously thin as when Severus first found him.

Laying the boy down on his bed, Severus stood back and watched the young face for a moment. Harry's face still had the boyish features associated with youth but Severus knew that as soon as the boy opened his eyes, his whole face seemed to mature three years. The eyes alone looked like that of an adult, an adult who had experienced more in life than one man ever should.

Tucking the blankets tight around the boy, Severus retreated from the room and softly closed the door. 

* * *

Severus felt a bit disoriented the next morning and knew without looking at a clock that he had slept later than usual.

Whenever he felt like this he knew his day started out wrong and it was very seldom that it improved as the hours passed.

Quickly making his way to the bathroom, Severus took care of his morning ablutions, and then moved toward the kitchen.

Harry was already clattering about in the cupboards while keeping an eye on the eggs on the stove as he entered. Severus left him to it, knowing that the boy needed to feel that he did his share of things in and around their quarters in order to earn his keep.

The boy was too young still – despite his history – for Severus to explain the difference between acting like a child and acting like a slave.

Severus allowed some things while he drew the line with others. The boy had mercifully stopped adding 'Master' at the end of every sentence he wrote – only writing it after every second or third…

The 'Prophet' was open on the table and Severus skimmed through the pages. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and for a moment, Severus was uncertain about what he was seeing.

Harry had his back to him and was busy stirring the eggs, the boy's hand reached out into the air and caught the milk that had first caught Severus's eye. Proceeding to pour a bit of milk in the egg mixture, Harry went on as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Severus sat speechless for a moment before his thoughts realigned themselves and he was out of his chair and at Harry's side within seconds.

"How did you do that!"

The boy gave a silent cry of surprise and a gurgling sound made it passed the boy's throat before he swallowed hard and lowered his eyes again.

Severus cursed himself for his harsh demeanor with the boy but quickly straightened and took a step away from the boy to give him some space.

After another minute of tense silence, Severus asked more calmly:

"How did you move the milk from its place in the cooler to your hand without saying a word – which I know you can't, and we will address that at a later stage – but also without a wand?"

Harry looked at him with wide eyes before lowering his head again and flicking his wrist a bit. Severus puzzled over the behavior for only a moment as in the next second the boy was clutching a plate from the table in his hand.

A bright smile split the boy's face and his eyes shone with pride at what he had done. It dimmed quickly however as Severus could not smooth the puzzled frown off his face fast enough.

Harry once again lowered his eyes and bit his lip nervously – Severus wondered when and where the boy had learned this habit.

He sighed deeply as he looked at the downtrodden face and ushered the boy to the living room for a long discussion.

**End Chapter 3**

Sorry its short but I type this while at work and this morning has been a bit hectic. I will try my best to make the next one longer!

From the next chapter onwards, a chapter will be a whole school year, the next one the summer vacation, then another school year, etc. etc..

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:**The Rules of Life

**Summary:**There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:**This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**Important AN:**This fic will not collaborate completely with JK's books. The events that happened every year will still mostly take place but I'm going to play around a bit with the 'times of events' and 'who' is involved… :)

**How**Harry lost his voice will be explained in a later chapter. I'm not saying anything as it is part of the plot… :)

_He sighed deeply as he looked at the downtrodden face and ushered the boy to the living room for a long discussion._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Harry stared up at the ceiling of his room as he lay on his bed. Master Snape explained to him that it was very rare for anyone, especially one so young, to do wandless magic.

It took a while for Harry to understand that, no, his Master was not angry at him, merely puzzled and a bit apprehensive about his magic use.

Master Snape told him not to do any magic without his wand when he was not in one of Master Snape's rooms. The headmaster, though on the 'good' side of the war, would do anything in his power to use Harry – to take advantage of his youth and ignorance.

Harry was really beginning to dislike the headmaster. From what he'd seen and heard, the man was not very nice.

School was going great. Harry enjoyed it more than anything he had ever enjoyed in his life. With the other children in class, Harry was hesitant to do any magic but after his talk with Master Snape, Harry knew what he would do.

Though unusual for a first year, it was not uncommon to do 'wordless' magic. With Harry's problem, it explained his use of 'wordless' magic but he still needed to use his wand wherever he went.

Master Snape also promised to help Harry with his 'wandless' magic.

Closing his eyes, Harry fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

Severus looked over at Harry where the boy sat in his usual place by the bookcase. He could not believe how quickly he had gotten used to the boy's presence. Though Harry was unable to speak, he was by no means quiet. Whenever the boy did school work, pages could be heard turning, quill scratching on parchment, soft puffs of air as the boy blew his hair out of his eyes. Severus itched to cut the hair but was uncertain about how the boy would react to that.

After once suggesting that Harry could from time to time make use of the bath in Severus's bathroom – should the boy need a break from showering – Severus was careful to suggest anything else. The boy practically hyperventilated at the thought of having a bath and it took Severus ten minutes to calm the boy down.

He could make an educated guess as to why the boy feared baths but decided that it was too early to ask questions yet. He needed to build up the fragile trust between them before asking any potentially harmful questions.

"Tomorrow is Halloween; I will not be here when you return from school. Be sure to come straight here after school, you do not want to give the headmaster reason to throw you out. I will make sure the house elves have dinner ready for you. Do not wait up for me; the feast could go well into the night. Finish your homework, take a shower and then go to bed – you may leave your homework on the table for me to go over.

For now, go clean up and get in bed. I'll come to make sure you are asleep in twenty minutes."

Severus watched the boy quickly finish the last paragraph of his homework before he went to do as told.

The boy's handwriting was still messy but at least it was fairly legible now. When Severus first went over the boy's homework he had to suppress any scathing comments, as he could see that the boy really _was_trying. Suggesting calmly that the boy might want to try improving his handwriting, a slightly hurt look was Severus's reward, which the boy quickly turned into a smile and nodded that he would try.

Picking up the piece of parchment Harry had been working on, Severus had to marvel at the change in handwriting. When Harry first consented to try improving his handwriting, Severus thought it would be the same as with most of his first years, but Harry surprised him by actually working hard on improving his writing and it was clearly paying off.

Going over the questions and answers, Severus took a separate piece of parchment and wrote a few suggestions on it. He never corrected any of the boy's homework but he suggested improvements from time to time. Sometimes he would suggest that the boy read over it carefully and correct any spelling mistakes or calculation mistakes.

From time to time, Harry had trouble recognizing any of the mistakes Severus could see at first glance, but at least the boy tried.

Severus put the parchment he was reading down and quickly wrote a suggestion that the boy should recalculate his answer to the fourth question.

The 'Potions book' prescribed for the Hogsmeade first years was different from the one Severus used but no less useful or informative. Severus knew the boy would be able to see his mistake when he reread his assigned pages.

Standing and stretching, Severus made his way to the boy's room and quickly pulled the covers up to the boy's chin – it was freezing in the dungeons. The boy was fast asleep and Severus put out the candle still burning before turning and going to his own room.

* * *

Harry woke at six the next morning and quickly made his way to the bathroom. Taking care of his morning ablutions, Harry made his way over to the table in the living room where he knew he would find either some suggestion on improvement or a scathing comment of how the answers could possibly pass for 'Troll', if not 'Acceptable'.

If it was the latter, Harry knew that his answers were acceptable, and would most probably earn him one of the highest marks in his class.

The 'suggestions' on the other hand, meant that he had screwed up one way or another and would have to redo one or all of the answers.

He was lucky today as there was only one suggestion and Harry quickly went over his assigned pages to see what he had missed. Hitting himself on the head as he found the part he had missed the previous day, Harry quickly erased the answer on the parchment and redid it.

Master Snape walked up to him and read over his shoulder as Harry finished the last sentence. A sharp nod and a scathing look made Harry beam up at the man – he had gotten it right!

"Next time, be sure to get it right the first time."

Harry nodded at his Master and quickly followed the man to the kitchen. They spent breakfast in companionable silence and Harry waved at the man as he left their rooms.

Making his way through the dungeons, Harry silently left the castle, pleased that no one was up yet and he could exit without any mishap.

Harry met up with one of his classmates, Andy Zabini, and together they made their way to school.

Andy chatted happily with him and had no problem deciphering Harry's body language as answers. Andy was Harry's first friend at the school and since day one, he had gone out of his way to make Harry feel as comfortable as possible.

The other boy told him of his twin brother at Hogwarts – Andy had not received an acceptance letter and thus attended the Hogsmeade School.

Listening to his friend chattering away about their last family vacation, Harry couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest as he thought of his family – or lack thereof.

Smiling at Andy as the boy paused for a moment; Harry couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a family - Someone to care for him, someone who didn't look at him as if he'd come out of the garbage can.

Master Snape's face appeared before him and Harry quickly shook his head before the idea could take root in his mind. No, he would not fall in that trap again.

He knew he owed Master Damen a lot but he could not make himself feel anything towards the man – not after everything that happened.

With Master Snape, things were different, but Harry refused to let his guard down or get his hopes up. He would do anything for his Master, anything, but he would not let the wall around his heart down, for if he did so, his Master did not only hold his life in his hands but his every thought, every feeling. One wrong move and Harry would shatter, never put together again.

No, he would do anything his Master told him, he would make his Master proud, he would obey his every wish – it was what Harry did best, after all – but where his heart was concerned, Harry didn't trust anyone, not even himself.

* * *

Severus watched as his prefects led the younger students to the dormitory. Quirrel's act just didn't add up. Firstly, Severus did not know a lot about stuttering, but as far as he knew, someone who stuttered did not stutter on every single word. Another thing was that Severus's mark burned every time he passed the other Professor. Looking down at the man lying face down on the floor in the Great Hall, Severus had to repress the urge to kick the man.

The Longbottom boy passed him with a gang of first year Gryffindors and Severus looked closely at the boy. Albus had announced to the school – and thus the whole wizarding world – that the Potter boy was lost to them and that they had made a terrible mistake. Albus and the ministry proclaimed Longbottom as the child mentioned in a prophecy and though not everyone believed it, the world now had a new icon to look at.

No one knew exactly what the prophecy said except those who had been there when Trelawney made it, but Albus's word on the matter was good enough for most people.

Severus could not help but feel sorry for the Longbottom boy. To go from 'clumsy, stupid little Neville, to an idolized wizard had to be hard on the boy.

The boy walked a bit straighter these days but Severus could see the haunted look in the boy's eyes. He could see how the boy felt the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders. Cursing Albus's meddling did not help in any way but it did make Severus feel better, if only a little.

Swiftly striding to his chambers, Severus felt a strange sensation creeping up his spine and knew that something was terribly wrong.

Opening the door to his quarters, Severus immediately looked toward the bookcase and the feeling only intensified when he did not see the boy in his usual place. Quickly checking the bathrooms, Severus cursed to himself as he realized the boy was not in their chambers.

Half way up the stairs to the Great Hall, Severus heard a loud _thump_and a roar that could only come from the troll. Breaking out into a run, Severus did not slow even as he took in the scene in front of him.

Harry lay crumpled against a wall at the far side of the entrance hall. The troll stood in the middle of the room and as Severus saw Harry's eyes close, the huge bat that hovered above the troll dropped and the troll stared stupidly at Severus before falling over.

Severus felt his heart rate quicken as he knelt down next to Harry. The boy moaned softly as Severus prodded his head and found a bump forming on the right side at the back.

"Sorry Master. 'M Sorry. Tried… too slow… 'm sorry."

Severus shushed the boy and lifted him carefully in his arms. Turning around, Severus scowled at the Professors who stared dumbstruck at the troll. Giving the headmaster a look that dared the old man to say anything, Severus stalked passed the gawping audience and made his way to the hospital wing.

"Poppy!"

Severus laid the boy down on one of the beds and then proceeded to take off his shoes and outer robe. Harry shivered a bit as Severus removed his robe, and Severus quickly pulled the blankets over the boy.

"He hit his head hard and there is a bump already forming at the back. I did not have time to ascertain any other injuries."

Poppy thanked him quickly before shooing him out of the way. Severus did so without fuss as he knew that Poppy would do her best to help Harry.

"I do not recognize the boy Severus, I assume this is your young charge we all know about but have never seen?"

Severus gave her a scathing glare and a look that said 'who else could it be you dimwit?'

After some more prodding and wand waving, Poppy gave him specific instructions not to let the boy go to school for two days and to monitor his behavior. Should any strange behavior occur that the boy never displayed before, Severus should bring the boy to her at once.

As Severus carried Harry down to his chambers, the events of the night caught up with him and he stopped dead in his tracks as the scene with the troll replayed in his mind.

_The boy talked! Harry spoke to him!_

Tightening his hold for a moment in what anyone else would deem a hug, Severus looked down to ascertain if the boy was still asleep and then proceeded down to his chambers.

* * *

Severus scowled at the boy cowering in front of him. Somewhere in the back of his brain he knew he was being too harsh, but damnit! The whole situation was infuriating him.

"You spoke Harry! I heard you, soft though it was, you did speak! What in the world is wrong with you that once again, you can not speak?"

Harry cringed away from him even further but Severus paid it no mind.

"What were you doing out there in the first place? Did I not tell you to come straight to our quarters after school? Did I not warn you that the headmaster needs only one reason to throw you out of this school? What were you thinking?"

The boy in front of him made a choking sound but that was the only audible evidence that the boy was crying. Tears ran down his face silently but he made no move to wipe them off or to run away.

Severus gave the boy a long look before turning around and leaving the boy in his room.

Everything that had happened the day before was raging havoc with Severus's mind and emotions. He did not know exactly what it was he felt but knew that if Harry put himself in danger again, he would not be able to stop himself from reacting first and asking questions later. Throwing the boy over his lap for a good spanking sounded like a marvelous idea but Severus restrained himself from doing so.

A small hand touched his shoulder and Severus grabbed the offending digit before he even realized what he was doing.

Severus could feel that Harry was shaking slightly and released his harsh grip on the boy as he looked up.

Harry passed him a piece of parchment and Severus read over it quickly.

Shame for his actions rose in him but Severus could put no words to the feeling.

Nodding his head at Harry to show he understood and that he forgave him, Severus sat down heavily on his bed.

"I will arrange something with your teachers; I won't let you miss out on something you clearly deserve." Severus called after Harry as the boy left his room.

He was really not cut out for this. The boy, fragile to begin with – though he would scowl at anyone who voiced the thought – had to be handled with care. Having Damen Nott for a Master would break even the strongest person and Severus knew now that Harry had been with the man for more than six years.

Looking over the parchment again, Severus sighed as he realized that he would have to apologize to Harry for his harsh behavior, one way or another.

_I'm sorry Master. Mrs Kingston kept me after class to arrange some advanced classes I may attend. 'Charms' is my best subject and she arranged with one of the teachers of the upper years to train me in advanced Charms. I'm sorry I was late Master. I promise I won't stay late again._

I don't remember speaking, I'm sorry! I don't know why I can't speak but I'll work on it, I promise.

I'm sorry Master, please don't send me away.

* * *

Severus could see that there was something on Harry's mind but he did not ask questions. Ever since the incident at Halloween, the relationship between them had tensed and Severus was loath to do anything that would push the boy further away. Severus worried over the boy as he had withdrawn even more the past few months, and though something was clearly troubling the boy, Harry had yet to come to him for advice. Not that Severus blamed him.

"Summer is almost upon us; a few more weeks and we will be free to do as we wish. Is there anything you would like to do?"

Harry looked up at him with pain-filled eyes and Severus's hands itched to reach out and comfort the boy.

Severus waited a moment and was not at all surprised when Harry slowly shook his head. He would just take the initiative then…

"Very well. I will arrange for us to go into London and we can spend a week exploring the country. Should you think of anything you would like to do, don't hesitate to ask." Severus doubted very much that the boy would ask for anything and promised himself that he would work with the boy to get him to open up a bit more.

One thing was clear however, in order to get the boy to open up; Severus himself would have to be open and honest with the boy. Something he had sworn never to do again.

Severus looked up as he felt eyes on him and sighed softly to himself when Harry immediately looked down.

"You may ask anything you want to Harry. I promise not to yell at you. What happened over Halloween will never happen again. You may not believe me but I ask you to trust my word, I will never lie to you. I will get angry, I will loose my temper but I promise you that I will never be so harsh with you again."

Harry looked up slowly and Severus could resist the urge to comfort no longer. Walking up to the boy, Severus laid a hand briefly on the boy's shoulder and gave a quick squeeze. It was the best he could do and it would have to be enough.

Harry closed his eyes and Severus silently thanked the boy for not pulling away. He did not know if he would be able to do this again had the boy pulled away.

* * *

Severus could do nothing but stare as the scene unfolded in front of him. He could see Albus on the other side of the room, hiding in the shadows as Severus did. When Quirrel unraveled his turban, Severus somehow knew what to expect. He had followed Quirrel as Albus received the urgent call from the ministry, knowing somehow that this was what Quirrel had been waiting for. The man went through the carefully planned out traps with an ease that truly surprised Severus.

Voldemort's head at the back of Quirrel's explained a lot and Severus reinforced his Occlumency shields so that Voldemort would not feel his presence.

The Longbottom boy stood in front of the mirror with a petrified look on his face. Severus knew from the small movement of the boy's hand that he had the stone in his pocket.

Severus weighed his options: He could rush to the boy's aid and save him, he had no doubt that he would be able to best Quirrel, but with Voldemort there, there were more consequences to consider.

Should Severus give his position away and help the boy, Voldemort would know that he was a 'spy' and when returned to full strength; Severus would feel the brunt of his wrath.

Why Albus just stood there, watching, Severus had no idea but the thought that Albus would let the boy die before stepping in made bile rise in his throat.

Quirrel had his hands around the boy's throat before Albus moved from the shadows. The resulting duel was short and Severus stayed in the shadows as Albus looked down at the Longbottom boy with a disappointed look before flicking his wand and levitating the boy out of the room.

* * *

That evening, Albus awarded the three Gryffindors for their 'brave actions' - _foolishness more like_ Severus thought to himself – and he had to suppress the urge to growl as he realized that Albus had let the Longbottom boy believe that _he, Neville_had vanquished Voldemort before he could get to the stone.

Having the world place their hopes and dreams on one boy, was bad enough. To let that boy believe he had a power he did not, was something else, Albus was grooming the boy to be the perfect tool while Longbottom dug his own grave.

It made Severus sick.

Thanking those small voices that had warned Severus not to confide in Albus about Harry's true identity, he thanked the deities that Harry, at least, would be safe from Albus's manipulations.

**End Chapter 4**

Please review! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**AN:** Sorry if you felt the previous chapter was a bit rushed and that the tension couldn't hold for eight months. I will definitely go over this fic when I finish with it and close all these irritating gaps and 'fill' the story with a bit more body – but that will have to wait for a while…

As for the question about Neville's Gran: She will feature in the next chapter :)

I have never been to London before so the information in this chapter is taken from the net, anything that is incorrect, please let me know! I also don't know the roads, tubes or anything really so Severus and Harry will either apparate everywhere or use the floo – just to make things easy on myself… :) :) :)

_Thanking those small voices that had warned Severus not to confide in Albus about Harry's true identity, he thanked the deities that Harry, at least, would be safe from Albus's manipulations._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Severus perused the little booklet Pomona had so generously given him. Working out any kind of timetable to follow would be foolish on his part. He knew how boys Harry's age operated and could already imagine the incessant questions of "When are we going there?" "How many days before we can go?" "Is it Friday yet?", no, no, better to decide these kinds of things on the spur of the moment.

They will spend the first week of the summer vacation at the castle, relaxing a bit after the suspenseful school year. Thereafter, Severus would take Harry into London about once a week; the other days of the week spent whichever way Harry wished.

Harry looked up from the book he was reading as Severus put the booklet down, a shy smile crossing his lips. Severus watched Harry closely and could see that the smile was genuine; it was the first time he had seen Harry smile in months.

Scowling to himself at the thought of how that smile made his insides squirm, Severus gave Harry a scathing glare and stood up. A cup of steaming coffee beckoned and Severus made his way to the kitchen.

Returning minutes later with two coffees, Severus handed Harry one, ignoring the slightly hurt and wary look sent his way, and seated himself on the couch again.

The boy really should get used to the fact that Severus would not now, nor ever ask him to do something that was well within reach of his own capabilities.

Maybe _never_ was too strong a word and too hasty a decision, but Severus would make sure that the boy did not form any belief that he _had_ to do things in order to warrant a place to stay. If the boy offered to make coffee or a mealtime, Severus would not refuse for he knew it would hurt the boy, but he would not do the asking.

A piece of parchment flapping before his eyes brought Severus back from his musings and he scowled at the boy hovering beside him.

Reading the sentence on the parchment, Severus deepened his scowl and waited. The boy knew not to ask such silly questions as "May I ask a question, Master?"

Harry scribbled something beneath the first question and handed the parchment back to Severus.

Severus lifted an eyebrow at the question before turning to face Harry fully. The boy was once again biting his lower lip and Severus stayed his hand before the wayward thing could tug at that lip.

"I foresee no problem with inviting your friend to stay for a while. Albus's arguments all centered around the safety of his students, now that it is summer, those arguments are null and void."

Harry beamed up at him and Severus glared at the brat.

"You may send him an owl but be sure to include a letter to his parents where you ask _their_ permission. If all agree, we will lay some ground rules for the summer. Having one irresponsible boy in my chambers is enough; a second one joining could only spell disaster."

The lip disappeared completely from view and Severus glared at the teeth now clearly visible.

Harry shifted uncomfortably before him and Severus raised his eyes a bit. It was clear that Harry was nervous about something and Severus dreaded whatever it was the boy was now writing.

_er.. Andy is, he has, Master, Andy's twin is in Hogwarts, in your house. Blaise Zabini? Er, well, may he come too? Only, Andy can't come without his twin, they see each other little enough as it is…_

Severus looked up from the piece he had read, already forming arguments he could use as to why this was a bad idea.

The arguments – some of them very good – died a painful death as Harry's hopeful expression all but crushed them in a suffocating hug. Not literally of course, the boy was a respectful distance away from him still.

"We will see. Write the invites, and when your friend _and_ his parents reply, then we can work something out."

None of what he said was part of any argument that had formed in his mind but Severus surrendered himself to the fact that he will most likely, have three reckless 'almost' teenagers, running around in his quarters before the next week. 

* * *

Andy, like Blaise, was a respectful child but that was where the similarities ended. Blaise, always a quiet, introverted boy, was the polar opposite of his brother.

Severus listened with half an ear to the incessant babbling of Andy Zabini. The boy certainly knew how to make up for the lack of conversation on both his companion's sides.

Harry and Blaise became quick friends after their introductions and Severus could see how they shared an indulgent look over Andy's head as the boy bent forward to pick up the scattered remains of the latest exploding snap game.

"… and then Harry scared almost the whole class when he suddenly lifted the teacher's desk up to the ceiling. Everyone thought he'd be unable to do magic, because he can't say the words you see, and when he lifted the desk we were all too shocked at first to realize that the teacher was also up there. Mrs Kingston screamed like a banshee! I swear! Harry lost his concentration then and Mrs Kingston would have crashed down if Harry hadn't regained it so quickly. The best part came then… as Harry lowered her down more slowly, he couldn't keep his concentration so well, as he was laughing as well, and he tipped her upside down! We all laughed when we saw that she wears pink knickers with white bunnies on it!"

The two brothers were rolling around laughing at the end of the tale while Harry sat rooted to his spot, face beet red.

"Well, at least she wasn't too angry." Andy continued as he caught his breath. "She kept him after class and since then, Harry's been in the advanced class with charms."

Severus looked at Harry then and understanding dawned, it was the day everything between them changed – and not for the better. Shame at his actions rose again but Severus returned to his reading before he could do anything foolish. 

* * *

By the third day of having three boys in his quarters, Severus was ready to tear out his hair.

Having two friends to play with was nice enough, but Severus's quarters were small. He could tell that all three youngsters were feeling a bit _cramped_. Taking the booklet from the shelf, Severus scanned the different descriptions again and decided on the best place for such a situation.

Museums of any kind were out of the question. The boys would drive him up the wall within an hour.

"'The London Eye' it is then." Severus muttered to himself.

"Alright, enough moping around you three. Put on some comfortable every day clothes – muggle clothes – we are going to London."

Two cheers and three jumps for joy was his answer and Severus glared at the three as they ran to Harry's room. 

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Severus ushered the three boys out of his quarters and then led the way to the Three Broomsticks.

"We are going to visit the 'British Airways London Eye' today. The information booklet I have states that from there, you can take a 40 minute circulate cruise on the Thames.

Now, if you three are ready, step into the fireplace and state your destination clearly. "Waterloo Tube" from there we will make our way on foot."

The boys all nodded and Andy boldly stepped into the fireplace. His brother quickly followed and Severus waited for Harry to step forward.

Harry turned frightened eyes to him and Severus sighed quietly.

"You need not worry Harry. The fire will not burn you; it is part of the magic that transports you from place to place. I will be right behind you. Nothing will happen, I promise."

Apprehension clear on his face, Harry nodded and stepped into the fireplace.

Severus followed a few seconds later and could not manage the scowl he wanted at the look of relief on Harry's face.

Ushering the three youngsters out of the tube station, Severus looked around him carefully for any signs of danger. Ascertaining that the cost was clear, Severus quickly led the way to the entrance of the 'London Eye'. 

* * *

The delighted exclamations from the boys kept any scathing comments from forming on his lips. Harry kept poking him in the shoulder, pointing this way or that but Severus indulged the boy every time by turning around and looking at whatever had caught Harry's attention.

Andy and Blaise chatted happily as they made their way to the pier for the circulate cruise. Severus walked next to Harry and frowned at the look of longing on the boy's face as he watched the brothers interact.

Severus knew it was not easy on the boy, not being able to talk, but this was the first time he could see such longing clearly written on the boy's face.

He would have a talk with the boy when the brothers went home. The incident in Halloween had confirmed Severus's belief that Harry _could_ speak. The boy was just very reluctant to do so – a block in his mind preventing him from doing so.

Pushing Harry lightly in the back as the boy slowed down, Severus kept his hand there as they made their way through the crowd. 

* * *

Severus put on his nightshirt as he exited his bathroom. Walking towards the living room to do his nightly check-ups on the boys, Severus was surprised to see a small form curled on the couch. He had conjured bunk beds in Harry's room for the twins so that the three boys could all share a room. Seeing Harry curled up on the couch, arms clutched around his knees, Severus scowled. If those boys had done anything that caused Harry to seek shelter elsewhere, Severus would make sure they felt his wrath. It was _Harry's_ room they slept in. If anyone had a right to be there, it was Harry.

Summoning a blanket from his rooms, Severus draped it over Harry and smoothed the hair from the boy's forehead.

The smooth forehead seemed to taunt Severus. He knew what lay concealed there. He knew who this boy was, knew that one day Harry would have to face his responsibilities. For Severus to have kept it secret as long as he has, had been foolish, he had to tell the boy the truth.

The twins were leaving in two days; he would wait until they had left before facing Harry and the horrible truths the boy would learn. 

* * *

The next day they visited the Science Museum and Severus – as well as the boys – experienced the IMAX 3D for the first time.

Questions about muggle technology kept flying his way and for once, Severus did not know the answers.

Harry kept snickering silently every time Severus had to evade a question and by the end of the day, Severus was scowling and glaring at anything that moved. 

* * *

Diagon Alley was as crowded as always this time of year. Severus led Harry from shop to shop to get his equipment, books and some treats.

The lost, bewildered look on the boy's face had been a constant since the day he told Harry the truth.

Concern was not something Severus was accustomed to but he felt it before and knew that this was indeed what he felt towards the boy now. A deep-rooted concern that kept him awake at night had taken hold of him and refused to let go whenever the boy was out of his sight.

Severus looked at Harry once again and could do nothing but stare at the boy as the lost look disappeared, replaced by a hesitant half smile. Looking to his right, Severus could see the Zabini twins making their way over to them and thanked the deities for sending these two.

The haunted look in Harry's eyes did not disappear but at least the half smiles and shy looks were back, for how ever long it would last – it was a blessing to Severus's tormented mind.

The questions of _"Should I have waited to tell him?" "Was that really something to burden a twelve year old with?" "How would _you_ feel if someone told you, you are not who you think you are?"_kept repeating in his mind but with those half smiles back, he could stomp on any other misgivings. No matter how he felt about the situation, he knew it was the right thing to do.

Severus greeted Lucius with a nod as they exited the bookstore, thankful for once to see Arthur Weasley. Lucius was clearly enjoying baiting the other man and Severus made his exit while still possible.

It was a sad affair to say goodbye to the twins for as soon as they turned to go to their parents, Harry's face shuttered and the smile disappeared from his face.

It was going to be a long, hard year for them. Severus just hoped he would not be alone at the end of it.

Is that not bizarre – to _hope_ that he would not be alone when all he had ever wanted was to be left in peace…

**End Chapter 5**

Sorry it's short! The next one will be longer, I promise!

Please review! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**Just a note:** Severus said the destination for Harry when he went through the floo.

**Aragon**: THANK YOU for that information. I didn't know the 'London Eye' (or as you call it, Millennium Wheel) only opened in 2000. Please, anyone else reading this, that was a mistake on my part and I apologize. I'm not going to really focus on "Time Frame" as such so you can interpret this fic any way you wish – either read it as if first year was 2000+ or just imagine the 'London Eye' was there already in 1991/2. Once again, I apologize for this mishap!

**Pandora de Romanus**: I think your comments and question will be answered in this chapter...

**AN:** Please don't kill me!

_It was going to be a long, hard year for them. Severus just hoped he would not be alone at the end of it._

Is that not bizarre – to hope_ that he would not be alone when all he had ever wanted was to be left in peace…_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Severus worked out a schedule according to which he and Harry could work. He would teach the boy 'wandless magic' every Friday evening for an hour – except when he had detentions to oversee – every Saturday for an hour and every Sunday for two hours. Spending more time than that would tire the boy out, and make him grumpy – not something Severus whished to experience any time soon.

Movement to the right caught his attention and Severus marveled again at the boy's grasp of wordless, wandless magic.

Harry was levitating himself up and down while reading one of his prescribed textbooks. Since Severus had told him the truth, Harry had been immersing himself in his books and often borrowed some of Severus's own books from his second year.

The school year started the next day and Severus had a very bad feeling about the coming year. He had learned to trust his instincts and feelings the hard way and was already planning how best to keep an eye on the boy.

Pushing the thoughts aside for later, when he was alone in his bed, Severus concentrated on Harry.

"Harry, I have here a timetable for your wandless lessons. I promised you I will help you with it and I intend to keep my promise. Look at it and tell me if any changes need to be made."

Harry quickly took the offered parchment and scanned the contents. Nodding his head to indicate that it was all right with him, he settled back in his usual place where he unconsciously started levitating again.

Severus sincerely hoped the boy would not do so while in the presence of anyone else. 

* * *

"That was adequate Harry; you may yet be able to defend yourself."

Harry smiled that beaming smile at him and Severus glared at the boy. Not in the least bit perturbed, Harry turned to try the spell again.

Severus watched in confusion as Harry's hands jerked to a halt and the boy's eyes snapped open. It was October already and the boy had progressed well passed Severus's expectations of this point.

Looking at the slightly glazed over expression on Harry's face, Severus forced himself to keep quiet and let the boy come to him. Harry would have to learn to come to Severus for help with his problems.

Scared green eyes locked with his and Harry licked his lips nervously. Shaking off any traitorous thoughts the action provoked, Severus raised an eyebrow in enquiry.

Harry's hand shot out to his side and a moment later, parchment, quill and ink made it into his hand.

_"Did you hear that Master?"_

Severus frowned at the question and looked closely at Harry.

"What did you hear? There is nothing and nobody else here Harry. The closest to us is the Slytherin common room and even that is far enough that we would not hear anything even if someone let a banshee loose there."

Harry bit his lip and quickly scribbled another message.

_"I heard something Master. It sounded like a voice, but very soft. It kept repeating 'kill, kill, kill'."_ Severus watched Harry closely and concern flooded him as he saw Harry shudder when he finished the sentence.

Reading the few sentences on the parchment, Severus could understand why Harry reacted that way.

"I did not hear anything Harry. Tell me immediately if you hear it again. If I am not with you at the time, write down the exact words and let me know as soon as you can. Is that clear?"

This time the quill did the writing and Severus glanced over the "Yes Master" for just a moment before he turned back to Harry.

"Good. Even in the Wizarding world, hearing voices is not a good thing. Do not tell anyone else about this."

At Harry's nod, Severus turned back to his book but the words did not take on any meaning as he kept thinking of what it could possibly be that Harry heard. 

* * *

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here and visit Harry, Professor Snape."

Severus scowled at his beaming charge before giving a tight nod to Andy Zabini. The fact that one hopeful look and request from Harry would have Severus pack up all his things and escort Harry to the Middle East, should the boy wish so, was of no consequence at the moment and Severus refused to show his true feelings on the matter.

The boys rushed to Harry's room to catch up on the week they had missed from each other, which, in their wise opinions, was _'ever so long!'_

In one week, it would be Christmas and Severus resigned himself to the fact that he would have two, possibly three miscreants running around on Christmas day.

One remembered incident lightened Severus's mood somewhat. He remembered when Longbottom's grandmother showed up on Halloween, dressed in one of Albus's eccentric robes – where she got it, no one could tell – and then proceeded to do something no one else had ever been able to do.

Scare Albus Dumbledore.

Severus remembered Albus's face as he first took in the very remarkable copy of himself, swooping down the isle after banging open the door of the Great Hall.

Mrs Longbottom – who only later gave away her identity – swept down upon the head table and soundly berated Albus Dumbledore on his poor conduct and dangerous manipulations.

Sounding, looking and even 'twinking' the same way the real Albus Dumbledore does, she managed to fool everyone in the hall – Albus included – for a moment that she was the real Albus Dumbledore, but from the future.

She explained in very graphic detail just how Albus's manipulations would lead to the death of innocent lives and the incarceration of one of his very own staff members. Mrs Longbottom then proceeded to tell the whole school that, though a possible 'candidate' for the prophecy, Neville Longbottom was NOT the boy-who-lived and was not to be the next icon of hope in the wizarding world. Anyone who disagreed would have to go through him (– her…)

Needless to say, everyone – staff and student alike – were horrified at her words and her description of what 'would' happen.

After dismissing the students from the hall, the staff all gathered around the 'time traveling' Albus Dumbledore and Severus remembered how he was unable to repress the smile that spread across his face as everyone realized that Albus had just been soundly berated like a five year old by an old lady, five years his younger.

However, the matter was much more serious than any misdeeds a five year old could manage, but the picture of Albus cowering before an enraged version of him was truly an enlightening experience, as well as humbling.

The concealment charm was of such excellence that Professor Flitwick, a Master in charms, had trouble detecting it. Albus had been enraged as he realized he had just been soundly humiliated by a _woman_ but the ill concealed rage in Mrs Longbottom's eyes kept him from making a scene.

Severus doubted that many of the staff would take Mrs Longbottom's words and warnings to heart but at least it was still not a well known fact that the 'time traveling Albus Dumbledore' had been a fake.

A few students might very well send letters home about the incident and after Christmas, Severus was certain that everyone in the British Wizarding World would know.

Footsteps nearing brought him back from the fond remembrance and Severus looked at Harry as the boy nervously shifted from foot to foot.

A piece of parchment thrust in his face had Severus leaning back a bit; he scowled at Harry, and then proceeded to read the message.

_I heard the voice again Master. Not as clear as before but I'm sure it said something about being hungry and again said something about killing. What's it mean Master?_

Looking up at the boy, Severus scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know what it means Harry, but thank you for telling me, remember to do so in future as well. I will take it up with the headmaster again, after the incident with the other Albus the headmaster might be more inclined to listen to me."

Severus still debated whether to tell Harry the truth about the incident but decided to wait until Harry's friend left – it was not something he wanted spread around the world.

"Go back to your friend and play a bit. We can go into Hogsmeade tomorrow so be sure to go to bed early."

Harry nodded and happily made his way back to his bedroom.

Severus sighed to himself and wished that one-day he would be able to earn Harry's trust and the smile he usually reserved for his friends alone. 

* * *

Harry gave Andy a weary look. The boy's earnest expression did nothing to assuage Harry's apprehensiveness. One thing he had learned since a young age was never to trust _anyone_ or, in this case, any _thing_.

The quill and parchment in front of Andy came to life again as Harry directed his thoughts at it.

_I don't know about this Andy. Sure, you found it in the school, and you are right, the school should not have anything in it that could harm the students, but how do you know it was not another student who brought it? How can you trust something you picked up in a bathroom? Plus, you haven't told me exactly _what_ you were doing in the _girls_ bathroom of all places!_

Andy gave him a sheepish look but Harry just scowled at him.

"You know, it's creepy how you pick up his mannerisms. I don't remember you scowling like that when we first met."

Arms crossed, Andy looked like a pouting three year old and Harry suppressed the urge to laugh, his friend could not sidetrack him this easily.

_Don't change the subject Andy! How can you trust something like this? Where does the answers, the information, the _intelligence_ come from? This book is dark Andy, I'm telling you._

"Please Harry! Let's just see what it has to say… it could be nothing, it could be something very important. Let's just try it, please, just once…"

Harry suppressed a sigh; he had learned months ago that it was no good arguing with Andy over something the boy had already made his mind up.

"Thank you! Thank you! Okay, what will we say? Let's just start by introducing ourselves, okay?"

Harry nodded reluctantly and Andy started scribbling away.

_**Hi there! My name is Andy, my friend Harry is also with me. We are at Hogwarts.**_

They both waited with baited breath for some kind of response.

A minute later, the words disappeared. Harry watched it apprehensively; he had a very bad feeling about this.

New words appeared and the boys both bent their heads to read it.

_**Are you now? Well, I suppose I'll have to introduce myself as well. I am Tom Marvollo Riddle, you may call me Tom. This is my diary.**_

Harry pushed the book away from him and stood up. He would not go through with this. Every fiber in his being was telling him that this was a bad idea and his instincts had never led him astray before.

Andy on the other hand, was once again scribbling something on the page.

Harry looked over his shoulder and realized that he had missed the previous sentence from 'Tom'.

_**No, Harry is not **_**the_ Harry Potter. His name is Harry Patterson, he is my friend and classmate, we both go to school in Hogsmeade._**

Harry wanted to whack Andy over the head for giving out too much information and _personal_ information – not to mention that it was incorrect. The thought of telling Andy the truth, that he really was 'The Harry Potter' flashed through his mind but Harry immediately dismissed the thought.

_**Oh, so are you both muggle borns? Were you not good enough to be accepted at Hogwarts?**_

Harry could practically hear the sneering and condescending tone but whatever he was going to do was too late as Andy was already writing a reply.

_**I am no muggle-born! I am pureblood and my line can be traced twelve generations back! We don't know about Harry as he is an orphan, don't make assumptions about things you know nothing of.**_

Hanging his head in his hands, Harry just closed his eyes and let Andy carry on with this new argument. If there was one thing Andy loved more than his family, it was arguing.

Half an hour later, the boy was still at it and Harry had to practically drag him away from the book.

They met Master Severus in the kitchen and Harry desperately wanted to tell the man about the book but every time he tried, Andy stepped on his foot or interrupted him.

Harry scowled at his friend but kept his mouth shut. He could always talk to his Master later.

Andy gave him a relieved look and Harry felt his insides twist at it. He was desperate to have friends, and Andy was a great friend, but could he continue like this, having to withhold information from his Master in order to have that friend?

Master Severus described the layout of the rest of their vacation and Harry decided to keep quiet for a little while still. 

* * *

Master Severus kept muttering to himself as Harry read his book and it was driving the boy to distraction.

He could hear something about a chamber reopening and something bad happening in the school. To tell the truth, for months now, Harry had been feeling a distressing cold descending in the castle.

His charmed quill and a piece of parchment descended on him from the bedroom, and Harry blinked at it. He had not even realized that he had used his magic to call for them.

_Is something the matter Master? Are you alright?_

Master Severus scanned the parchment as Harry levitated it up to eye level with his Master.

"I am alright Harry, thank you for asking. Yes, there is something wrong but nothing you have to concern yourself with."

Harry pushed his hurt down at the dismissal and lowered his eyes to his book again.

He would just have to let his Master deal with whatever it was that troubled him. There was nothing he could do, and the feeling of worthlessness reared its head again. Harry ruthlessly squashed it down. 

* * *

Harry ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to get to Master Severus! Andy had been looking ill lately and today, he had failed to show up at school. It could just be a bug, a cold or something like it, but Harry had a very bad feeling about this.

As he entered Hogwarts, Harry watched in confusion as students all hurried in different directions, it looked as if most of the Slytherins had all decided to go back to the common room at the same time.

Maybe they had been ordered to do so?

Hurrying down to his Master's chambers, Harry burst in through the door and was dismayed to see that his Master was not yet back.

Twenty nail-biting minutes later, the door to their chambers opened and Harry rushed at his Master.

Master Severus grunted as Harry slammed into his legs but Harry gave it no thought. Clinging to the strong legs for all he was worth, Harry began directing his thoughts at his quill.

Strong arms picked him up and deposited him on the couch as his quill and parchment made its way to Master Severus.

_Andy… not there… ill for days… Master? What can we do? …. He alright?_

The jumbled words reflected the jumbled mess in his mind and Harry gave his Master a sheepish look as he read over the words. Master Severus scowled at the mess on the parchment but his look softened somewhat as he looked at Harry.

"I will contact Andy's parents to ascertain if he had stayed at home today. Do not worry yourself over it needlessly. For the moment, I want you to stay here in our quarters. There are very dark magic at work in this castle and I will not have you gallivanting about. Is that clear?"

Harry wanted to protest, to say that he wanted to go look for Andy, to find out for himself that his friend was all right but at the concern he could detect on his Master's face, Harry stayed his protests. 

* * *

Master Severus returned to their quarters late that night with a worried look on his face. Harry jumped up immediately but Master Severus put his hand on his shoulder for a brief moment and Harry's tension eased for a moment.

"Andy's mother informed me that she dropped him off for school this morning as usual, though a bit ill – as you mentioned – he refused to stay at home. I'm afraid no one had seen him since."

Harry felt tears threaten but he had learned long ago to ignore such weakness.

There was a knock at the door and Master Severus stood and opened it. Blaise rushed to Harry's side without a second look at his Professor and Harry couldn't even summon a smile at the glare his Master sent the other boy.

"Is it true Harry? Andy didn't show up at school today? Where is he? What could have happened?"

Harry lowered his head in shame and he heard a chocked sob from the other boy before he felt himself pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

"He'll be all right Harry. You'll see. He'll be all right, won't he?"

The desperateness in Blaise's voice broke Harry's resolve and for the second time in a year - _so weak, so weak!_ - Harry let his tears run their course down his cheeks.

He held on tight to Blaise, knowing that if anyone deserved comfort now, it was Blaise.

_Kill! Kill! Mudbloods and blood traitors alike. I shall have a feast this night!_

Harry jerked back from Blaise as the voice penetrated his thoughts.

Turning scared green eyes to his Master, Harry quickly relayed the words to his Master with his charmed quill.

Something flashed in his Master's eyes and Harry turned a hopeful look toward the man.

"Earlier this evening, the Chamber of Secrets was reopened - I belief that this could be where the young Mr Zabini was taken. The message read that 'their skeletons will lie in the chamber forever.'"

Harry sprang up at once and hurried to grab his cloak while his quill wrote his newest thoughts.

_We must go at once. We know now where he is, the Chamber of Secrets. We can save him!_

Harry turned around after clipping his cloak in place and the expressions on his Master and friend's faces brought him up short.

"Harry," his Master's voice had never been this gentle before and Harry felt his throat tighten. "Harry, no one knows where the entrance to the Chamber is. I will go with you, we will search the whole castle but I do not want you to get your hopes up Harry. No one even has a clue where to begin searching."

The tightening in his throat threatened to suffocate him and the squeeze of a hand in his was the only thing that brought him back from the brink.

Turning a bewildered look on Blaise, Harry could see his own lost and haunted look reflected back at him.

This was not the time to break down however, and Harry squared his shoulders and nodded at his Master.

He would face this, whatever the night might bring; he would face it like every other obstacle he had ever faced. 

* * *

It was quite a comical scene really. To see a professor cowering before three second years, but the humor of the situation was lost on Harry as concern for his friend took over.

"What is the meaning of this Mr Longbottom? Professor Lockhart, explain yourself!"

The Longbottom boy - Harry thought his name was Neville, but couldn't be sure – started explaining the situation at the same time that Professor Lockhart made his excuses.

Master Severus silenced both at once and turned to the more coherent one, Neville.

"We were, that is… pipes… basilisk… I was looking and Hermione was looking…. We were… the chamber… and Moaning Mertle confirmed… and she died here…when the chamber was first opened… the mirrors! Open the mirrors?"

Harry had trouble deciphering the nervous boy's ramblings but finally he thought he had the gist of it. Turning to his Master, Harry could see that the man was also working the ramblings out into more meaningful, coherent sentences.

"Let me get this straight: Somehow, you, Miss Granger and Mr Thomas came to the conclusion that Mertle was the girl who died fifty years ago. Not only that, but you deduced that it was a basilisk that was raging havoc in the school and that the entrance to the chamber is here in this bathroom? Is that about right?"

Neville nodded his head a bit uncertainly and Harry wondered what it was in his Master that scared the boy so much.

"There is hope for you yet, Mr Longbottom."

The boy gaped for a moment before turning a confused look to his friends. They both shrugged and turned their attention back to their Professor.

"You say that you believe the basilisk is moving within the pipes?"

"Yes sir." The girl, Harry assumed she was 'Miss Granger', answered primly.

Master Severus scratched his chin in thought, a habit Harry had noticed earlier that year, and suddenly turned to Harry with an odd expression on his face.

"Harry, I am going to conjure a snake. I want you to listen carefully and tell me if you hear anything, okay?"

Harry nodded hesitantly; he had no idea where this was going.

A medium sized snake materialized from the tip of his Master's wand and Harry watched in fascination as the creature coiled in on itself.

_Who disssturbed me from my sssslumber? What'ssss thissss? Humansssss! Danger!_

The snake made to strike at one of the students but Master Snape immobilized it before anyone could come to harm.

Master Snape turned to Harry again and Harry wanted to run away as every eye in the room turned toward him.

Harry realized that his quill and parchment were not with him and turned to his Master with a helpless expression.

A long-suffering sigh was the answer to his expression before Master Snape conjured quill and parchment.

_It asked who disturbed it from its slumber and then thought it was in danger from the humans._

Shock warred with disbelief on most of the faces turned his way but Master Snape just nodded his head as if some puzzle piece had fallen into place.

Harry was possibly just as shocked as everyone else was when Master Snape knelt down in front of him.

"Harry, I want you to listen to me carefully. What I am going to say now is the truth, I want you to trust me on this, trust me just this once Harry. Can you do that?"

Apprehension filled him at the serious look on his Master's face and Harry gave a very hesitant nod. He did not know if he could ever trust anyone, even his Master, but he would surely try.

"I want you to listen to me now Harry. Listen and take to heart what I am going to say as it is nothing but the truth."

Harry nodded again as his Master paused.

"No matter what anyone else ever told you, no matter what Damen Nott or Vernon Dursley every said to you, you _are_ allowed to speak."

Harry thought he heard a soft gasp from the girl behind him but he ignored it, no one else was doing anything.

"A friend's life is in danger Harry and _you_ are the only one who can save him. No one else. Believe in yourself Harry, trust that you can speak because you do have the ability. You are allowed to speak Harry, if there was ever a time where no one would blame you for speaking it is now."

The earnest look on his Master's face captured Harry in a way nothing ever had and he was nodding his head before he even realized what he was doing.

"Look at the sinks and see if you can find a snake engraving."

The instruction directed at everyone in the room, brought everyone's attention back to the matter at hand and there was a small scuffle as everyone hurried to do as told.

A short time later Harry was standing before the tap with a snake engraved on it. Master Snape stood right behind him and once again assured Harry in a soft voice that no one was going to be angry with him for talking.

Taking a deep breath, Harry asked the snake to open the entrance for them.

No sound came out.

A hand settled on his shoulder and Master Snape spoke one word: Belief!

Harry closed his eyes and for once in his life put his trust in the words of his Master. Believing that he was allowed to talk was the hardest thing he had ever done but as he opened his eyes with new resolve, Harry once again asked the snake to open the entrance.

Scratching and scraping echoed through the room as the stones and mirrors shifted. The proud look on his Master's face brought tears to his eyes but Harry blinked them away.

The realization that he had found the entrance to the chamber and had opened it crashed down on him and Harry staggered for a moment. Strong hands steadied him and Harry looked back at his Master for a moment before he jumped down the pipe.

He could hear Master Snape cursing Harry's reckless behavior but the adrenaline of the moment kept him moving and Harry didn't mind in the least that he would be in trouble later for his behavior.

Everyone who had been in the bathroom joined them down in the smelly chamber and Master Snape quickly lit his wand as he led the way down the pipes.

There was another door at the end of a long passage and this time it was a bit easier for Harry to believe that what he was doing was right, was allowed.

The sight that met them as the door opened imprinted itself on Harry's mind and he knew he would never be able to forget.

A young girl, no older than Harry, was sitting slumped on the floor, the head of a young boy – Andy, Harry realized – in her lap.

An older boy was standing to the side with a pleased smirk on his face. Harry had to look closely at him to realize that the boy had a bit of a transparent hue to him.

The soft sobs of the girl filtered into his mind and Harry felt dread clench his heart.

Stepping closer to the pair on the ground, Harry shook off his Master's restraining hand. Blaise was right beside Harry and they took the last few steps at a run.

The closed eyes and utterly still body of Andy made Harry falter in his steps.

There was no rising and falling of his chest to show that he was breathing.

Blaise knelt down next to his brother and as sobs wrecked his body, Harry felt his own legs give out.

Harry registered the feeling of strong arms encircling his and turned his head into his Master's chest. Hands rubbed soothing circles on his back but it had no impact on Harry and certainly did not sooth the turmoil in his heart.

A cackling laugh brought his attention back from his distressed thoughts and Harry turned bloodshot eyes on the boy he had noticed earlier.

"You cry now, the girl will be dead in a few minutes as well, save your tears for then."

Another laugh followed those words and Harry looked down at the girl who still had Andy's lifeless form in her hands.

The life seemed to drain from her by the minute. Words from the other boy penetrated his thoughts and Harry looked around for the diary of which the boy was speaking.

He knew that diary! Dread filled him as he realized that Andy had kept the diary and was now d…, no, he could not think about it.

Rage spurred his movements and Harry picked the diary up from the floor and began ripping out the pages.

It didn't make any difference however as new pages kept appearing. The cackling of the other boy was quickly driving Harry insane and he looked around the room helplessly.

The dead form of the huge basilisk registered in his mind and Harry blinked. He hadn't even noticed it before then.

Embedded in the snake's skull was a small stick and Harry turned incredulous eyes on Andy's still form.

The girl turned tired eyes up to him and explained softly that Andy had transfigured the stick into sword when the snake attacked. Though not a complete or very good piece of transfiguration, it worked in killing the snake.

"He first took off his robe and blindfolded the basilisk with it, but it was a near thing, even then. His had to do the spell five times before he got the aim right. He couldn't look at the snake fully or he would have died."

"It was one of the fangs that killed him." Her breath hitched as she continued her story and Harry felt new tears forming in his eyes.

The girls breathing quickened and Harry realized that she didn't have much time. Refusing to look at his friend, Harry extracted the fang from Andy's arm and looking "Tom" straight in the eye, he stabbed the diary with all his might.

Everything else was a blur after that but Harry remembered the feeling of strong arms and soft words whispered in his ear as the subdued group made their way back down the pipes.

Andy's body floated in front of him and Harry turned his head into his Master's chest. He couldn't look at it, couldn't see it.

The first friend he had ever made, the first person to see him as a friend… de…d…, no, no, the thought was too painful to finish and with a last hitched breath, Harry closed his eyes and wished for sleep. Maybe, maybe when he woke up this would all have been a nightmare.

**End Chapter 6**

I'll just run away for a while then, okay?

Please review! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**LadyIvy:** I agree with you but time were against them and Severus had to make the choice between wasting time and getting everyone out of the bathroom before he conjured the snake, or, giving this one piece of information away and saving the life of a student. (Though he did give something else away to Hermione, if you caught that bit :) )

**tsujton**: It's just how I write him and what I want from his character :) I like to play around with them and making Dumbledore a manipulative old man with an ego problem is fun to write :)

**AN:** I am sorry everyone, but Andy is really dead :( :(

Dumbledore is a manipulative old coot in this story – if anyone maybe missed that fact :) :) – and thus his Character is quite a bit Out of Character. His actions and reasoning is different from canon for the sake of this fic. If there is anything that you feel he would do/and or/ not do, please just read over it or ignore it because everything happens for a reason… :)

_The first friend he had ever made, the first person to see him as a friend… de…d…, no, no, the thought was too painful to finish and with a last hitched breath, Harry closed his eyes and wished for sleep. Maybe, maybe when he woke up this would all have been a nightmare._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Severus Snape was not someone who worried himself needlessly. If something bothered him, he would search out the perpetrator – for there is _always_ one, in his opinion – and let that person/and or _thing_, pay for it.

It was frustrating to have to admit that in this situation, he had no idea what to do or how to react.

Harry's small form clutched at his person as if he were a lifeline, something Severus swore to himself he would never be – anyone's lifeline.

The students walked in silence behind him as he led the way up to the infirmary. Poppy could do nothing for Andy, but for Harry and the rest of the students, some sleeping draughts would not be out of the question.

The Granger girl kept glancing from Harry to Andy and back. Severus could see that she was reflecting back on the information he had inadvertently let slip while trying to help Harry. There was nothing for it however, if Severus had to go back, he would do everything the same. He would have a word with the Granger girl, that night if possible, and make sure the girl did not let the information out into the school – or to a certain headmaster.

Severus would have to deal with Dumbledore and his displeasure of Severus going after the students without the headmaster's knowledge or help.

The students, especially Granger, could pose a possible threat to Harry's secret – though they did not know that – and Severus would have to make sure that they either conveniently _forgot_ that piece of information or impart on them the seriousness of keeping what happened that night secret.

He would not be able to convince any of the students to keep Harry's Parseltongue ability secret and it would be too risky to obliviate that from their minds for Dumbledore would certainly be searching for the answer of _how_ they made it into the Chamber, no, such an act would give too much away.

The mention of the Dursley's however, was something Severus could rectify or edit. The easiest would be to obliviate that part from everyone's mind, but detection was still a possibility if anyone knew what to look for.

The last option Severus had was to implicate his own involvement and deal with Dumbledore's wrath. He knew that the headmaster would not be pleased to know that Severus knew something, something important, that the headmaster was not privy to.

Modifying the students – and Lockhart's – memories would be the easiest action to take with the least consequences. Muffling his conversation with Harry would be tricky, but doable. Severus would have to impose the feeling and conviction in their minds that they could not hear a word of what Severus said to Harry, their voices muffled and indefinable.

To do so would protect Harry's' secret for a little while longer but it would indicate that Severus knew something he did not want the headmaster or anyone else to know. Severus would just have to deal with the consequences.

Severus looked down at Harry and realized with a start that they were in the infirmary. He placed the boy on one of the beds and shushed the quiet whimpering. 

* * *

Lockhart proved a bit more difficult than Severus anticipated with the modifying of his memories, but finally after ten minutes – it took only five with the students – Severus finished and sat down at Harry's bedside, satisfied with his work.

Severus silently thanked Poppy when she dosed the students with sleeping draughts. If he had to hear the Thomas boy express his opinion of how Harry could only be a dark wizard one more time… he would not be able to stop he hex lingering in the forefront of his mind.

By tomorrow Harry's Parseltongue ability would be all over the school and he would be even more ostracized than before. Albus, Severus knew, would take the knowledge in one of two ways. The headmaster might decide to acknowledge that he had been wrong and see for himself the damage his decisions regarding Harry had done – thus also acknowledging the fact that Harry Patterson was Harry Potter – or, Albus would refuse to acknowledge his mistakes and put Harry's Parseltongue ability down to coincidence or bloodlines.

Albus's attitude regarding Severus's charge thus far leant his belief to the latter possibility. Severus would not be surprised if Albus demanded the boy's eviction from the castle.

Severus would put a fight up if that should happen. Albus Dumbledore had long since lost his respect and if push come to shove, Severus would give the headmaster an ultimatum: Force Harry out of the castle and loose Severus as a Potions Professor and spy, or, let Harry stay and Severus would make sure that Harry did not mingle with any of the students, except Blaise. Severus would just insist that Harry and Blaise deal with their grief together.

Blaise sat beside his brother's lifeless form and Severus suppressed a wince at the haunted look in the boy's eyes. Severus could not imagine the pain of losing a brother, much less a twin, and seeing one of his students in such pain frustrated him to no end.

Severus watched in silence as Blaise looked away from Andy to look at Harry. When Blaise did nothing but look at Harry with a helpless and pained expression, Severus sighed with relief. If Blaise blamed Harry for his brother's death, Severus knew Harry would not be able to recover; that Blaise felt nothing but grief and a shared understanding with Harry was a blessing.

Harry whimpered in his sleep and Severus moved toward him, stopped suddenly by Blaise's hand on his arm. The young boy looked at him for a long while before releasing his arm and making his way to Harry's side, leaving Severus standing alone in the middle of the hospital wing, lost about what to do next.

Blaise settled himself in a chair next to Harry's bed and laid his head on the mattress. Severus watched them with an uncomfortable feeling rising in his chest but he did not have time to assess it now, he had a floo call to make, one he dreaded and hoped fervently he would never have to make again. To tell parents about the loss of a child was the hardest thing Severus could imagine doing.

Taking a last long look at his sleeping charges, Severus assured himself that Harry would be fine, Blaise would look after him should he wake and Severus had no doubt that Harry would do the same for Blaise.

The path to his office was a lifetime too short. 

* * *

As Severus predicted, Albus was not at all impressed by his _impertinence_. The headmaster insisted on knowing what Severus said to Harry in the bathroom but Severus stood his ground and refused to answer. For a moment, it seemed that Albus would evict both Harry and Severus from the castle but in the end Albus agreed to let them stay on the condition that Harry did not wander the castle for any reason and did not interact with the students. With the Zabini's permission, Albus allowed Blaise in Severus's quarters but that was the only friend allowed for Harry – at Hogwarts at least.

The continued silence from Harry worried Severus but he consoled himself with the fact that the boy at least interacted with Blaise. The boy had not spoken a single word since the incident but at least they all knew now that it was a mental block and not a physical inability.

Whenever Severus asked Harry a question, the boy's first reaction would be to reach for quill and parchment but a harsh glare from Severus usually elicited a feeble attempt from the boy to voice his question. Thus far, they had no success.

Severus wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake with the boy, if he had voiced his conviction in Harry's ability and permission to speak incorrectly. Did the boy still fear consequences should he speak?

Their conversation in the bathroom replayed itself in his head and Severus glared at his memory self when the problem became apparent. He should have seen this coming, should have known to word his request and conviction better.

_You are allowed to speak Harry, if there was ever a time where no one would blame you for speaking it is now._

How could he not have foreseen the consequences of such a sentence? He had no doubt that should Harry ever find himself in a situation where a friend was in danger, the boy would be able to talk, to protect them, but in a normal setting, where no one was in danger, Harry still did not believe that he was allowed to speak.

Severus wanted to smash something, preferably Harry's head, or his own…. but he refrained from doing so. It was not the boy's fault that he could not speak, well, not entirely the boy's fault.

Andy's funeral had already taken place but it had served no comfort for Harry. Severus remembered the silent tears streaming down Harry's cheek and could almost imagine that they had imprinted lines on Harry's face, a reminder of his grief.

"We will go to Diagon Alley to purchase your supplies tomorrow; I do not want to wait until the last moment to do so, having the students at school ten months a year is quite enough, I do not wish to see them before that."

Harry looked up from his book and nodded at Severus.

The boy resumed his reading and Severus suppressed the urge to shake him. Severus hoped the newest development would jolt the boy out of his depression. Reading over the boy's school letter again, Severus let go of his doubts and fears and decided that it would do the boy some good to feel and act like a kid for a change.

"Along with your supply list, I received a letter from your school informing me that the 'Gemstone-cut tournament' would take place this year. They have this tournament every third year and anyone from third year and above are allowed to try out for a team."

Harry marked his place in the book before turning his full attention to Severus.

"The 'Gemstone-cut tournament' is a tournament between three or more schools from all over the world, depending on the shape of the gemstone cut. This year, the 'cut' drawn was a diamond, and they selected four schools according to the cut. A draw took place and they chose Hogsmeade as the 'Host school', from which they then drew the shape of a diamond on a map to select the other three schools. From the schools selected, I gather that they drew the diamond horizontal and not vertical.

The diamond shape pointed to Thailand, South Africa and Brazil. The school closest to any 'point' of the diamond can participate. From Thailand's side, a school in China will participate, as there is no Wizarding school in Thailand. From South Africa, the Wizarding school there – Toor-toring – and from Brazil the school in Rio de Janeiro.

Each school will have three teams participating, Team A, B and C. The teams will compete against each other according to rank – A, B or C – until only one team remains in each rank. From there, the two teams with the least points will compete and the winner will compete against the best team where the over-all winner will then be decided."

Severus paused to take a few sips from his tea and let Harry digest the information. It was a difficult concept to explain but once Harry participated and was part of the tournament, he would understand it better.

Harry held out his hand and a moment later, his quill and parchment came floating through the door.

Severus kept his expression neutral even though he had the strange urge to hug the boy. It was the first time in weeks that Harry replied to Severus with something more than a nod or shake of the head. The boy would from time to time let his quill reply with a "Yes Master" or "No Master" but other than that, the boy had yet to start a real conversation – or participate in one.

_You will allow me to compete in this tournament?_

He should have anticipated something like this but for some reason the question still startled him.

"Yes Harry, if you so wish, you may participate in this tournament. Mind you, if you decide to go through with this, I expect you to do your very best. Is that clear?"

Harry thought about it for a while before resolutely nodding his head.

"Good. Fill in this form and I will sign it. They will place your name with all the other hopeful students and when school starts, you will do a little test to assess your abilities and determine your place in a team. Team 'A' usually consists of sixth and seventh years as they are the best in the school. Team 'B' usually consists of fifth and sixth year students and Team 'C' of third, fourth and fifth. Sometimes a younger student finds him/herself in Team 'B' but it is not very common."

Harry nodded his acceptance of the description and Severus could already see the determination set in. There was no doubt in Severus's mind that with all the studying Harry had been doing he would make a team, which team, Severus was still uncertain. There was a slight chance that Harry would make team 'B' and though it consisted of tougher challenges, Severus thought it would do Harry some good to let all of his grief and frustration out in a well controlled environment.

"Very well then, go and clean up. I will come and check that you are asleep in half an hour. No more reading!"

The last said in reference to the fact that Severus had found Harry reading one of his textbooks late into the night on several occasions. The boy seemed to turn to his books when nightmares plagued him, though Severus was reluctant to dissuade the boy from his studying, he would have to impose some new rules if the boy kept defying him. Sleep was more important than studying and Severus would make sure that Harry got plenty. 

* * *

Blaise accompanied them to Diagon Alley and Severus bit back a smile at Harry's enthusiasm regarding the upcoming tournament.

Severus reminded himself to buy Blaise a box of chocolates for keeping Harry's spirits high and skillfully turning a conversation around when it seemed to wander in a depressing direction.

Harry's quill and parchment floated between the two boys and Severus had to keep reminding Harry to hold his wand aloft – as if holding the two items in a spell – so as not to arise suspicion about his wandless magic ability.

As they exited the bookshop, Severus saw the Granger girl casting a concerned look at Harry and reminded himself to have a talk with the girl once school started. If she started digging for information on _who_ could have possibly abused Harry to such an extent that he believed he was not allowed to speak, she might come closer to the truth than Severus would like. He decided to discuss the matter with Harry and together they could decide how much to tell the girl in order to keep her curiosity in check.

Returning to Hogwarts, Severus helped Harry with his packages before shooing both boys out of his way. He had potions to prepare for Poppy and knew the boys would not do anything irreparably stupid. Warning them against going out of their quarters, Severus closed his workroom door behind him and started a simple pain relief potion.

The next year would certainly be interesting and Severus just hoped that Harry would be able to deal with his loss and come out stronger. With Blaise's help, Severus thought there might be a possibility to see a smiling, happy Harry by the end of the year.

**End Chapter 7**

This is where the fun starts! :) :) :)

I have not decided on the tasks for Harry's team yet. I have a few ideas running through my head – river tubing (almost like river rafting but with tubes) with a few obstacles is one thought. A nighttime 'scavenger hunt' for fairies… Basically, anything a boy his age would enjoy but would not be too dangerous.

This is NOT like the Tri-Wizard tournament. This is more for the fun of the challenge and the team building aspect.

Do you have any suggestions for the tasks?

**Just a note:** Dumbledore has this image of a 'perfect' Harry in his head and can thus not reconcile it with this Harry, which is why he can not see the truth when it is staring him in the face.

Please review! :) 


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**3cheers4Snape:** Andy died when the basilisk's tooth embedded itself in his arm. Andy did not 'defend' Dumbledore the same way Harry did in the books, which is why Fawkes didn't come to save him.

**Laura**: Are you a fellow South African? :) Did you see I used Afrikaans words for the name? :)

**Schwertlilie:** Thanks for the idea, I used your idea for the basis of the challenge :)

**About Ron**: Some of you have been asking after Ron. Well, in my opinion, Ron and Hermione never became friends because the events in first year that got them together never happened. Ron is there somewhere, and he might make an appearance but I'm not sure.

**AN:** Quick question, did JK ever say what time in the Summer Sirius escaped? I wrote this chapter in the context of Sirius escaping by the end of summer.

_The next year would certainly be interesting and Severus just hoped that Harry would be able to deal with his loss and come out stronger. With Blaise's help, Severus thought there might be a possibility to see a smiling, happy Harry by the end of the year._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Severus looked up from the book he was reading and glared at Harry. The boy had the good grace to look sheepish as he ducked his head. A parchment with "Sorry Master" floated before him and Severus waved it away with a sigh. Flicking his wand, Severus cast a drying spell to dispense the water Harry had sprayed him with during his latest experimental spell casting.

Undeterred from his task, Harry was soon again waving his hands and miming the spells even as he did them wordlessly.

Shaking his head at Harry's antics, Severus resumed his reading but not without putting a shield spell around himself that would keep any other unwanted _surprises_ away.

Severus called Harry to a halt and the two quickly made their way to the kitchen for lunch. A house-elf had everything ready for them and Severus picked up the Prophet as he took a sip from his coffee.

Only years of spy work kept Severus' surprise to a minimum and prevented him from making a fool of himself by spraying his coffee over the table.

Harry still picked up that something was wrong and looked at Severus expectantly.

Severus debated whether to tell the boy about this newest development and decided that keeping secrets was not the way to earn the boy's trust.

"Sirius Black escaped from prison." He could not have been clearer on the situation.

Apparently, Harry did not think so for his confused expression did not waver for a moment and only intensified.

Severus scowled at the boy as if his ignorance was his own fault but after a moment, he relented and explained.

"Sirius Black is… was, your godfather. When you were but a baby, your parents went into hiding under the 'Fidilius Charm'. This charm allows someone to hide in plain sight without anyone the wiser. No one but the 'Secret Keeper' knew where your parents hid. Your godfather, Sirius Black, was your parents' secret keeper. They entrusted their – and your – safety to him and he betrayed them by giving the 'secret' away. Once he told the Dark Lord where your parents were hiding, the Dark Lord did not waste any time to go after them."

Harry looked at him for a long moment before merely nodding his head in acceptance. Severus was dismayed to see it. The boy had experienced so much hardship and disappointment in his life that one more did not make much of a difference. It did nothing but further the boy's distrust in adults.

Severus wanted nothing more than to go after Black right that moment and chop him up for potions ingredients. The mere thought of the man made his skin crawl and Severus suppressed the urge to lock Harry up and forbid him to go anywhere ever again.

Looking at Harry now, Severus knew without a doubt that over the last two years, Harry had somehow infused himself into Severus' life without consciously knowing about it.

Severus doubted that Harry knew, or would ever know, just how much Severus was willing to sacrifice for him. The fact remained however, that Severus had more respect and admiration for this boy than for the most respected wizard of their time.

The sentimental thoughts were nauseating – even though it was the truth – and Severus glared at the boy for doing this to him.

Harry blinked up at him as if he could feel Severus's eyes on him and when he saw the glare directed at him, he beamed one of his beaming smiles before returning to his reading.

Severus stared at the boy. He did not know whether to be enraged or pleased. The boy had not smiled at him that way in weeks and he was disgustingly happy to see it. That his glare had the effect of making the boy smile instead of cower before him was a bit worrisome but Severus put it down to the boy's questionable mental state. No one could live with him for two years and be happy about it... 

* * *

It came as no surprise to Severus that Harry made it on the team. The boy rushed to him as soon as he entered his quarters and Severus had just enough time to put down his armful of essays before Harry's body crashed into him. Even just one week after school started, Severus already had enough marking to do to keep him busy for a week.

The hug was brief but as Severus' heart stopped beating for that one moment, it seemed like a lifetime to him.

When his heart decided to return to its regular function it was beating too fast to be normal and Severus took a few steadying breaths to calm himself.

Harry was by that time already on the other side of the room and Severus silently thanked the boy for giving him his space.

Composing his face into the most menacing glare he could manage, Severus turned to Harry and raised an eyebrow in question.

The boy blinked at his expression but then turned his attention to the quill and parchment next to him and wrote a few sentences.

_I made the team! I couldn't believe I made the team, but it did! They said the challenges for our team starts right away and that the other 'Team B' participants will also be starting their challenge while still at their schools._

Severus looked up in shock from the parchment but quickly smoothed his expression as he congratulated Harry. Knowing it was a possibility for the boy to make Team B did not prepare him for the actual happening.

"When will the other school's participants arrive? Did they give you any indication?"

_They will arrive in three weeks. Our team consists of four members. We will receive our first task tomorrow and by the time the other schools arrive we need to have the first part of the task done._

_I have no idea what it could be_ was added as an afterthought.

The boy suddenly looked apprehensive and the quill started scratching away like mad. Severus could not really make out anything coherent in the jumbled mess on the parchment but he could guess the most of it.

"You were chosen because you are an able wizard Harry. The tasks are not dangerous and will be fun; I can guarantee that. They instigated the tournament to provide fun challenging tasks that would demonstrate young witches and wizard's talents in different areas of magic. This is a wonderful opportunity to encourage teamwork and unity in the schools. You will enjoy it and you are competent enough not to embarrass me or yourself."

Harry gave him a tentative smile at the praise, for it was high praise coming from Severus.

Severus ignored the smile and returned to his markings. 

* * *

Harry sat on his bed, paging through the fairy tale book as he pondered his first task. Blaise sat across from him, working on his potions essay.

_What do you think of something with wings?_ Harry passed the parchment to Blaise and waited for an answer.

"That could work but it is harder to manage than something simpler, like a cat or dog."

Harry looked at him curiously for a moment before rephrasing his question.

_I was actually talking about something like a Pegasus or Phoenix._

Blaise looked up from the parchment with an incredulous expression.

"You want to try a magical creature? Are you nuts? To transfigure even a small figure of one is difficult, and, you don't even know what the next task would be. What if they want you to charm it to fly, or run, or something?"

Harry hid his disappointment of Blaise's lack of confidence in his ability.

_Well, I will at least try it. If I don't manage the transfiguration, I know I won't manage the other tasks and I will decide on a simpler animal. So, what creature do you think would be best?_

Blaise looked dubious but Harry could see that he was at least trying to be supportive.

"How about a creature that looks like a normal animal but with wings, or with one distinguishing feature? Like a unicorn?"

Harry thought about that for a while and nodded.

_I think that might work. I'll ask my Master about it._

Blaise gave him a confused look and Harry could see anger building in the boy. He had no idea what could have angered his friend and wisely kept his mouth shut. 

* * *

When Harry got out of the shower that evening, he heard raised voices from the living room.

"I appreciate your concern for your friend but I will remind you Mr Zabini that you are sill my student and disrespect will not be tolerated."

Harry had never heard his Master this angry before and wondered what Blaise could have said to anger the man so much.

"He calls you his 'Master'. What am I supposed to think of that, Professor?"

Master Snape sighed loudly before Harry heard him directing Blaise to take a seat.

"Harry should not have called me that, I have tried to convince him to call me Professor Snape or even just Snape or sir but the boy doesn't understand the reasons for it.

Mr Zabini, what I am about to tell you does not leave this room, is that clear?"

Harry heard Blaise give and affirmative answer and then listened as Master Snape described some of Harry's past.

No mention was made of his relatives and Master Snape only explained the basics of Harry's life with Master Damen.

Half an hour later, Harry stirred from his position against the wall. He had sunk down to the floor after the first five minutes and had dosed off after that. Master Snape's form towered over him now and Harry flinched at the glare sent his way. It was the first time in months that Master Snape's glare frightened him and Harry couldn't suppress his reaction in time.

Master Snape stepped back a bit before ordering Harry to follow him.

"I belief you heard some of what Mr Zabini came to talk to me about." It was not a question but a statement and Harry nodded.

"Mr Zabini's reaction is a good example to learn from. Anyone who hears you addressing me as 'Master' will react this way and some of them will not even bother asking questions before accusing me of mistreating you.

You know well and good that I have not, nor will I ever mistreat you and having you inadvertently lead others to belief so is an insult to my character. You will desist with calling me Master and from now on will call me sir or Professor Snape."

Harry cringed back at the harsh tone and words but nodded as his Mas… no, Professor Snape finished his explanation. He had no idea why anyone would think this man was mistreating him but if that was what people would think just because he called him 'Master'… then Harry could change and call the man something else. It would take a while but Harry would do his best to remember not to call the man 'Master'.

Master Snape looked at him long and hard before turning around and going to his workroom.

A burning sensation in his eyes caused Harry to blink but he ignored the implications and retired to his bedroom for the night.

He would think of something to make it up to the man in the morning.

The last thought to plague him before sleep claimed him was that he had no Master now. No one wanted him anymore. A shudder wrecked his frame as sleep claimed him. 

* * *

Master Snape treated him the same as always the next morning and Harry gave a quiet sigh of relief.

Classes were still the same and Harry was still required to attend them, even though he was one of the contestants in the tournament. It was hard to sit in class next to an empty desk, knowing that the one person he wanted next to him would never again be there.

In Transfiguration class, the teacher allowed Harry to work on his tournament project and he set about researching information on various magical and mythical creatures.

There were two creatures that interested him and Harry focused on them.

The Peryton and the Amphiptere. The book Harry used – Professor Snape gave it to him – described the Peryton as a deer with wings that casts the shadow of a man. Muggles believed them to be from Atlantis, a mythical island, but really, the Peryton was a magical creature that lived in the Northern parts of Africa. The creature looked easy enough to transfigure and Harry suppressed the urge to do so now.

The book described an Amphiptere as a serpent with wings. The thought of having a snake or snake-like creature to converse with was tempting and if Harry only knew what the tasks involved, his decision would be so much easier to make!

The bell rang to signal the end of the lesson and Harry put his book away. He would ask Professor Snape about it, maybe the man could give him an indication as to which creature would be best to attempt.

Harry met with the other three members of his team and felt a bit nervous when he realized he was the only one to attempt a magical creature. As the youngest in the team – everyone else was fifth year and above – most of his teammates were indulgent with him and they encouraged his attempt.

The fact that they saw him as a child did not sit well with Harry but as they were all supportive, he did not take too much offence.

Everyone already had the basic form of their chosen animal and Harry looked the small figures over with a smile. Two of the figures were no bigger than his hand and the small forms of cat and owl made him smile. The horse was a bit bigger than the other two but still cute in its own right.

None of the figures had any detail yet and Harry couldn't wait to see the finished product of each. Now, they were all just rock or wood like animals. Harry knew that by the time the other schools arrived his whole team would have small figures of animals with soft fur, sharp nails and any other distinguishing characteristics needed for the animals.

Waving goodbye at them, Harry hurried back to the castle. He was more excited about his project than ever before and was anxious to start his transfiguration.

As he neared the gates of Hogwarts, Harry felt eyes watching him and scanned the area for the perpetrator. A large black dog looked at him for a while before growling once and turning away from him.

Weird… was the only thing Harry could think as he made his way to Professor Snape's chambers.

**End Chapter 8**

Sorry the chapter is short and that I had to split the year into two chapters but I'm a bit pressed against time today. I will try my best to get the rest of third year out by the end of the day but I can't promise anything. You will definitely have it by tomorrow :)

I have decided, and most of you are going to hate me for it, I'm sure, but Sirius is not going to be a 'good guy' in this. You're going to hate him in fact.

Just a warning…. :)

Please review! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!!

**Mila:** LOL :) I think I'm spoiling everyone :)

**About Sirius**: I doubt I will be able to make him a Voldemort supporter… no, you will see why you come to hate him later on…

_As he neared the gates of Hogwarts, Harry felt eyes watching him and scanned the area for the perpetrator. A large black dog looked at him for a while before growling once and turning away from him._

_Weird… was the only thing Harry could think as he made his way to Professor Snape's chambers._

**Chapter 9**

Harry looked at his transfiguration with a critical eye. As Professor Snape predicted, the Peryton was too difficult for Harry to manage. The small details of creating the antlers and the details of the hooves were proving to be beyond Harry's capabilities. With a disappointed sigh, Harry waved his wand to banish the disfigured form of the deer.

Half an hour later Harry's spirits had lifted somewhat. The snake was a lot easier to transfigure and Harry looked forward to completing this project in a few weeks' time. He decided not to think on the details of the scales and the concentration needed for something like that – he would worry about that when the time came… He comforted himself with the fact that millions of small hairs would be much more difficult to create than the scales. It helped, a bit…

Professor Snape entered the room and surveyed Harry and his transfiguration for a while before nodding and proceeding to his workroom, a stack of essays floating behind him.

It was difficult, but Harry was slowly starting to get used to calling the man Professor Snape instead of Master in his mind. On paper, it was easier, he usually thought before he wrote, but in his mind, it took a while.

Harry carefully placed his transfigured snake on the table and made his way to his room. He had other homework to do and loath as he was to stop his project, he knew he had to.

Taking out his Charms and Potions textbooks, Harry returned to the living room and proceeded to work on his assignments.

Professor Snape came out of his workroom while Harry was busy with his Potions essay but the man walked past him to the kitchen, collected a glass of water and returned to his work. Harry had the feeling that the man had not even seen him.

Deciding to take a break from his work, Harry made his way to the kitchen and started dinner. It was not often that Harry or Professor Snape would make their meals but when the opportunity presented itself, Harry was the first to take the chance.

Half an hour later, Harry set the table and went to his Master's – Professor Snape's – workroom. Knocking on the door, Harry waited a few moments and knocked again – it was a simple method to let the Professor know that dinner was ready. Whether or not the man heard was uncertain but there was no way Harry was going to face the man's wrath by opening the door to check.

Returning to the kitchen, Harry was glad when he heard a door open after he seated himself. A few minutes later Professor Snape joined Harry and they ate their dinner in silence.

"I see you've decided on the Amphiptere, or did you maybe realize that I was right?"

Harry gave the man a sheepish smile, which told just how right he was. He ducked his head and continued eating.

A snort was his only answer and Harry smiled slightly.

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_I have no idea how to continue the task! Concentrating on the details of the scales was hard enough but now they want us to do this?! They're mad!_

Severus read the piece of parchment with some amusement. Harry had the strangest way of changing a most horrible day into something tolerable with just a few words.

"Just what exactly is so complicated that you would call a respectable witch or wizard _'mad'_?"

Harry squirmed a bit at his tone but did not back down.

_They want us to infuse a part of our magic in the transfigured animals. They say it will start some kind of process that will prolong the transfiguration's 'lifetime'. Apparently, a normal transfiguration holds only about a month or two, with the magic infused in it, it should hold for almost a year, depending on how much you put into it._

It was not an unheard of concept and Severus wondered just what Harry's problem with it was.

_They didn't tell us _how_ to do it! Just how exactly am I supposed to get my magic in that thing? 'Oh magic… would you please be so good as to go into that transfigured snake-like figure? No? Oh well, didn't think so.'_

Severus suppressed a snort of laughter with some difficulty. He could actually imagine Harry asking his magic to do that and would not be surprised if he tried it already.

"Harry, look at me. You do not _ask_ your magic to fuse with the figure but you _do_ have to concentrate on giving some of your magic to the transfigured piece. Close your eyes and just feel your magic. Just concentrate on your magic, feel it in your body and then concentrate on 'giving' it to the figure. It is not the same as wandless magic, with wandless magic, you just release the magic and it will dissipate after the task, with this, the magic does not dissipate but fuses with another figure."

Severus snapped his head up as he felt a tendril of Harry's magic reaching out to him.

"Not me, you imbecilic boy! You have no idea what will happen if you fuse two magical beings' magic with each other. Do not attempt that again, ever!"

Harry cringed back in his seat but even though Severus did not want to scare the boy, this was more important and he had to impress on Harry the seriousness of the situation.

"You have to promise me Harry that you will never do that again, with anyone. The consequences are dire and I do not want to find you immersed in something you can not get out of, even with help."

_Yes Master_ was his answer and Severus decided it was time to back down again. It had been a while since Harry last called him 'Master' and he was loath to trigger a setback.

"Good. Now, try it again with you Amphiptere and remember not to do this with anything that has its own ingrained magic."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry wandered aimlessly through Hogsmeade. His mind had repressed the memories containing anything about Andy but as the Christmas holidays drew nearer, the painful memories started to surface again.

In three week's time, it would be Blaise (and Andy's) birthday. The painful truth that Andy would never again celebrate his birthday, and that his twin had to celebrate it alone, was almost too much to bear.

His transfigured Amphiptere moved from one shoulder to the next and back, as if sensing Harry's listlessness. The little creature had been a source of some amusement for him but even the antics of a flying snake could not jolt Harry out of his depressed funk.

Shika – Harry actually named the creature – was one of only two of their team's transfigurations that moved. The other team members were having trouble directing their magic in what to do.

Harry finally decided on getting Blaise a stack of parchments and some invisible ink. His friend was always complaining that he couldn't write Harry any letters because his friends at Hogwarts would see and start asking questions. This way, he could write the letters and if nosy roommates decided to go through Blaise's things, they would find what looked like empty parchments. The ink turned invisible ten seconds after it touched the parchment so Blaise would not find it difficult to write – he would be able to see where and what he was writing.

There was also a spell that he could use to find the parchments with the invisible ink on it, should they get a bit mixed.

Harry exited the store with his purchases in hand and started his trek back to Hogwarts. The same black dog he had seen a month before was on the outskirts of the school and Harry watched him wearily.

The dog locked eyes with him and Harry felt a shiver go through his spine.

There was something in the dog's gaze, something familiar to him and Harry repressed his shiver of revulsion.

Quickening his pace, Harry hurried past the dog, jumping a bit as it snarled at him, and could not help but run the way back to his Master's quarters.

There was something very weird about the dog and it set Harry's nerves on end.

Sighing with relief as he reached his Master's quarters, Harry entered and put his purchases down carefully before sinking to the floor.

Thoughts and memories bombarded his mind as he curled into himself.

One thing he was absolutely certain of was that he would stay away from that dog as much as possible.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

By February, the judges had given all the explanations for the tasks and Harry was happy to realize that his project was well on the way to success.

Shika was by now a very lively little snake. She was able to fly on her own, talk to Harry, and had even developed some kind of poison in her fangs. Harry wasn't certain if this was normal, but as she posed no threat to him, he didn't think it would matter.

The other members of his team had all progressed to the stage where their figurines moved on their own and one of them had even bitten Harry, twice!

None of the figurines was very big but they were all fast and very playful. Harry had to keep his amphiptere in check most of the time as it had the tendency to wind its tail around one of the other figurines and fly off somewhere for a while.

Terry, one of his teammates, had not been impressed when he realized Harry's 'flying snake' had gone and 'pet-napped' his poor defenseless kitten. The cat in question had not seemed to mind the intrusion and they found it purring under the attention of the snake.

Harry laughed as he remembered the look on Terry's face when they found their wayward animals.

His good mood vanished however, when he made his way back to Hogwarts and heard a sound he fervently hoped he would never hear again. The shriek of a dying animal rang in the air even as the silence settled again. Harry shivered as he saw a huge blade lowering off in the distance. Even with as far away as he was, he could make out a darker shade on the blade and it did not take a genius to guess what it was.

Forcing the bile rising in his throat back down, Harry hurriedly made his way to his master's quarters. He did not want to be out there and longer than absolutely necessary.

-------------------------------------------------------------

When the day arrived for the final votes on their projects, Harry nervously twiddled with his robes and absentmindedly petted Shika.

Master Snape – Professor Snape, Harry!! – sat beside him and gave Harry a glare as he looked over his shoulder for the twentieth time. The judges weren't there yet and Harry was on tenterhooks.

"Will you stop your fiddling? They will come when they are good and ready to give you your results. No matter what, you are not going to change their opinions by looking eager to see them!"

Harry lowered his head at the chastisement and kept his fiddling to a minimum for the next few minutes.

When the judges finally made an appearance, everyone was bursting to hear the results.

"May I have your attention please!"

"We have cast our votes and the results are as follows:

Team C – Their tasks were to procure any protected specie of plants, nurture it for the seven months of the tournament and then present it to the judges for marking by the end of that time. The team with the healthiest looking plants, but that were not the most easily maintained ones, was awarded the winning prize.

For Team C – Third place goes to Toor-Toring from South Africa. They had some of the most difficult to maintain plants and did an excellent job of it. Well done!

The award for second place goes to 'The Rio de Janeiro School for magical children'. Their plants were the best-maintained ones, but as they were not very difficult or challenging species, we award them second place.

First place goes to Hogsmeade school. Their plants were both difficult to maintain and one of the rarest species on earth. Very well done to them!

Harry clapped enthusiastically along with everyone there and did not even try to contain his excitement.

Team B – Their tasks were to transfigure any animal, fuse their magic with their transfigured piece and then care for the creature as you would a pet. All the participants of Team B managed to hold their transfigured creatures for the allotted time. Some of them have by now reverted back to the sticks or stones they once were, and some of them are still going strong.

For Team B – Third place goes to the Chinese school – I will not even attempt to pronounce the name as I will mangle it beyond recognition (there were some scattered laughter at that). They all managed to create and maintain some exceptional creatures. One or two did not develop full function of movement but the efforts were still admirable.

Second place goes to Hogsmeade school. Some of the most amazing creatures came from this team and they all managed movement and flexibility in their creatures. I will however, not mention the types of sounds some of them emitted.

The laughter was a bit louder this time and Harry couldn't help but crack a smile as he remembered the very horse-like neighing that Simon's owl made from time to time.

First place goes to Toor-Toring from South Africa. Their creatures were all magnificent and in a team effort, they managed to create and maintain four of the 'Big five' animals very well known in their country.

We also award a special recognition for one exceptional participant of Team B Hogsmeade. Mr Harry Patterson managed to create, care for and maintain a magical animal well beyond the allotted time; I believe he still has his Amphiptere even now.

Harry could not help but blush beet red at the attention and quickly hurried back to his seat after given his award.

Team A – Their tasks were difficult but very enjoyable. Each team was given the theory behind spell creation. We then gave them their task – each team was to create a new spell, perform it with satisfactory results and then write an essay on how they did it.

There is only a first and second place here, as the other two teams did not manage to complete their spells. We would still like to applaud their efforts and encourage them to improve on their work.

Second place goes to 'The Rio de Janeiro School for magical children'. They created a new duplication charm that even works on animate objects – after the spell is cast, the replica is, however, inanimate but this is a very useful and well-developed spell. Well done to them!

We award first place to the Chinese school for creating a temporary invisibility charm. The charm works on any still standing object, be it living or not. So, anyone who wants to hide, you can use this charm but make sure you are not standing anywhere your balance might be compromised for as soon as you move, the spell dissipates.

Another special award goes to the Hogsmeade school for the creativity of their spell. Though their effort was unsuccessful, we believe that with some research and patience, they will be able to complete it. They attempted to create a spell that will record movement in any specific building, relay the information to a charmed parchment and let you know who entered your house or school and where they entered.

This could be a very useful spell to corner burglars and those who wish us ill, we encourage you to complete this spell and maybe make our world a better, safer place.

Harry trudged behind Professor Snape as they made their way back to Hogwarts. He was very happy with his award but after the excitement of the moment wore off, he had been restless and bored.

It was late at night and Harry looked to the sky as he heard the howl of a wolf. It was the full moon.

Sliding a glance at Professor Snape, Harry could see that the man was just as uneasy as he was. Werewolves were not uncommon, even in that part of the country, and Harry dreaded ever meeting one on a full moon.

Professor Snape suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and Harry smacked right into him. Looking around the professor, Harry could see two students cowering behind a dark figure. Looking closer, Harry saw it was the dog he had seen a few times. The dog was trying to protect them however, which made Harry's uneasy lighten a bit. The werewolf advancing on them had his stomach in knots a moment later and Harry watched in fear as Professor Snape made his way to the students.

The dog looked in their direction and locked eyes with Harry for a moment. Its lips curled back in a snarl and it looked about ready to attack him, that same glint shining in its eyes as before.

It did not attack however as the werewolf chose that moment to attack the students. The dog jumped in front of them and attached its teeth to the wolf's neck. Harry winced at the action but quickly recovered himself and made his way to the castle. He knew his Master could look after himself and would protect the students until help arrived. Help would not arrive out of the blue however, and Harry quickened his pace as he took the task upon himself.

Harry quickly told the first Professor he came to about the situation and as the old woman dashed off with the request that Harry tells another Professor, he set off to find another adult.

Finally, after telling four different Professors about the werewolf, the dog, the students and Professor Snape, Harry set off to his Master's quarters, hoping against hope that the man was all right and that things would settle down soon.

He fell asleep on the couch, one of his Master's robes clutched in his hands and did not even wake when strong arms lifted him and placed him on his bed. He did not wake when long fingers pushed back his fringe and traced the shape of his scar on his forehead.

Harry was fast asleep, the memory of strong arms around him accompanying him into dreamland and keeping the nightmares at bay.

**End Chapter 9**

Please review:)


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!!

**tsujton: ** Thank you for your input. I really meant no insult to the Chinese or any Asian culture. I was in China myself three years ago and can honestly say that I butchered some of the names :) It's a difficult language to learn if you did not grow up with it but I meant no disrespect to anyone.

Everyone, please forgive me if you took offense at the part where I said the announcer is not even going to attempt the name of the school in China. It was actually based on my own experience. I'm really sorry!!

**LadyIvy**: If you think the way I think, and if it is bad, then you are most probably correct… You'll find out in the next chapter or so…

The summer holiday will again be separated in two chapters as RL is interfering again and I can't manage more than a couple thousand words a day.

_He fell asleep on the couch, one of his Master's robes clutched in his hands and did not even wake when strong arms lifted him and placed him on his bed. He did not wake when long fingers pushed back his fringe and traced the shape of his scar on his forehead._

_Harry was fast asleep, the memory of strong arms around him accompanying him into dreamland and keeping the nightmares at bay._

**Chapter 10**

Severus looked down at the sleeping boy with a strange mixture of emotions running through him.

He was proud of Harry's accomplishments during the tournament and even more proud that the boy started listening to him. That Harry came directly to their quarters when the werewolf attacked soothed Severus' nerves as nothing else could.

The night held surprises and long kept secrets that Severus wished he did not know now. The Granger girl had kept them in Albus's office until late that night and even now, Severus did not know everything that transpired. That the girl could not save the beast Hagrid called Buckbeak came as no surprise – she was only a third year after all, and alone – but that she managed to save Black's worthless hide was something that grated on Severus.

It did not matter if Black was innocent or not, Severus did not like the man and nothing anyone could say would change his mind.

Albus, in all his misguided wisdom, decided it would be good for the two Marauders if they stayed at the castle for the summer holidays. Severus knew it could only spell disaster.

Severus would keep Harry close, ensuring that the boy did not get into any unnecessary scrapes. There was no doubt in his mind that both the werewolf and the dog would smell James and Lily's scents on the boy but as the boy spent most of his time with Severus and potions, he doubted they would be able to ascertain what the smell was.

Black spent more than a decade in Azkaban and was certainly a bit unhinged. There was no telling what the man would do when he found out that his beloved Harry Potter lived with the 'nasty, greasy git'.

Pulling the blanket up to Harry's chin, Severus lightly traced a finger down Harry's chin before abruptly snatching his hand back and scowling at the brat before leaving the room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

One week into the summer holidays, Severus was at his wits end. On principle, Severus told Harry that his godfather was innocent, and, should Harry come across him in the hallways or so, not to fear him and just act as if nothing was wrong.

Dumbledore of course disagreed with Severus's decision to tell his wayward charge the truth but as the headmaster still denied Harry's true identity, Severus paid him no mind. He also pointed out to the old fool that if Harry was not privy to the truth, then he could expose Sirius's presence here at the castle. The headmaster had no choice but to agree with Severus's logic.

Now, Severus wondered if he should have told Harry anything, was the truth too much for the boy?

The boy began withdrawing from him and Severus found Harry staring lost into space on various occasions. It worried Severus that when he neared Harry and reached out to touch the boy, he would flinch back violently before apologizing profusely.

What concerned him the most though, was Harry's insistence on calling him 'Master' again. No amount of coaxing or orders could get the boy to call him Professor or 'sir'.

With the students all at home for the summer holidays, Severus managed to persuade Albus to let the boy wander the castle as he wished. Harry was still under strict orders not to interact with anyone – staff included – and Severus debated on letting Blaise come to visit. Keeping Harry in isolation was not good for the boy and having a friend close by might bring the boy out of whatever depression he had fallen in.

A soft keening sound reached Severus' ears and he made his way to Harry's room where the boy slept.

The boy thrashed about on the bed but Severus could see that Harry was trying desperately to keep his movements to a minimum, even when an unknown attacker pinned him to the bed. There was no one in the room of course, but in Harry's nightmare, someone was pinning him to the bed with his hands above his head and his legs bent in an unnatural angle.

Whimpering in distress, Harry tried to dislodge the person in his nightmare but on succeeded in eliciting some kind of angered response if the boy's cry of pain was anything to go by.

Severus had seen this kind of behavior and nightmares before. He knew what caused them and knew that nothing could make them go away. The only thing to do was to create pleasant memories and experiences to look back on when the nightmares invaded.

Walking over to the restlessly sleeping boy, Severus called Harry's name sharply. The boy stilled for a moment before curling in on himself.

Just as Severus reached out to shake the boy awake, Harry's soft voice startled him.

"Sorry Master, so sorry."

Severus softly asked what he was sorry for, but Harry did not answer.

Irritation warred with concern and Severus scowled down at the boy.

"Please… please uncle."

Severus realized that the boy was still asleep and was talking to this unknown attacker, who Severus now realized was the boy's uncle.

A sharp cry pierced the silence in the room and Severus jerked back a bit as Harry cringed and curled into himself.

"Sorry Master, yes Master, you are my Master, this boy does not deserve an uncle. Sorry… sorry… so sorry…."

The boy stilled again and the only indication of the boy's distress was the way his eyes moved restlessly behind the closed eyelids.

Severus wasted no more time and sat down on the bed, pulling the boy up against his chest.

Harry started flailing around wildly but Severus kept a strong hold on him. Harry's nails scratched at Severus's arms and would leave raw marks but Severus did not try to stop the boy. Any restraint on the boy's arms would evoke more responses that are negative and Severus did not want to distress the boy any more than he already was.

Calmly talking to the boy, telling him about Hogwarts and what Severus's usual day consisted of, slowly reduced the amount of whimpering and flailing arms and ten minutes after pulling Harry against him, the boy was again sleeping peacefully.

Severus settled the boy in the bed and put a monitoring charm on him, in case the nightmares returned.

Softly closing the door behind him, Severus wondered what could have evoked the nightmares and if he had just never noticed them before – which was very unlikely as far as he was concerned.

His main concern however, was the fact that Harry spoke during his nightmares. Severus's theory was that Harry would be able to speak whenever he – or his friends – was in danger, that the boy had no problem speaking to this unknown attacker let Severus to believe that the boy felt he was in danger with this man.

In Severus's experience, when a young child was beaten into submissiveness from a young age, they did not know or realize that they were in danger and Severus doubted Harry ever thought he was in danger while with Damen Nott. No, the boy might know it was not an ideal life to lead but Severus doubted he would feel he was in danger. Danger was the unknown, for a boy such as Harry, spreading his legs for a man, any man, was not an unknown and was part of his daily life. To Harry, unknown would be a new place, new people and no one to call Master. To Harry, Hogwarts was more of a danger than spending every night in Damen Nott's bed.

Harry's pleas and whimpering repeated themselves in Severus's head and he could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, very wrong, and that Harry's nightmares this night had nothing to do with the boy's muggle uncle or Damen Nott.

The only thing that confused Severus and contradicted his theory was that the boy called his attacker 'Master'. If 'Master' was part of the boy's 'known' category, why then did he feel himself in danger? Why would his brain categorize this incident as dangerous and not any of his other nights with Nott or Dursley?

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Severus read the piece of paper through twice before looking up at the boy.

Fear such as he had never experience before gripped his heart and Severus took a deep calming breath before addressing the boy.

"Harry, why did you write this? Read over it carefully and tell me exactly what is wrong with these sentences, because if you don't start explaining soon, I will have to take drastic measures, measures you will not find pleasant at all."

If the boy refused to answer, he would force Severus to use Legillemency, something he swore to himself he would never use on the boy.

Harry took the parchment from him with a confused expression and slightly shaking hands.

The boy had just written it, but Severus wondered if the boy even knew what he just wrote, if he was even thinking before writing anything these days.

_Would Master like some tea? This boy makes good tea. Would Master like this boy to make him feel good? This boy can make Master feel really good. Master told him so… or was that other Master? This boy does not know, this boy can't remember. Master? What would Master like?_

The boy's ramblings made no sense to Severus but it stirred something in him, something that wanted to lash out at the world, at all the despicable people in the world that mistreated their charges, their children, their partners, their submissive, anyone…

It was clear to Severus that Harry's brain was close to snapping, if it had not already. The boy was clearly having trouble discerning the 'here and now' from past experiences and it was causing emotions in Severus that he felt would be better left unstirred.

Harry looked up at him with a confused, lost expression and Severus dropped his head into his hands.

This was going to take more time and effort than Severus had, but for Harry, and only Harry, Severus would do it. Severus would take the time to work things out with the boy and help him, because no one else would and Severus would not trust anyone else to help the boy, to heal him.

**End Chapter 10**

Please review:)


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!!

**READ THIS IMPORTANT 'AN':** Seriously distressing scene in this chapter, you have been warned!!!

_Harry looked up at him with a confused, lost expression and Severus dropped his head into his hands._

_This was going to take more time and effort than Severus had, but for Harry, and only Harry, Severus would do it. Severus would take the time to work things out with the boy and help him, because no one else would and Severus would not trust anyone else to help the boy, to heal him._

**Chapter 11**

Severus would accomplish nothing by asking Harry questions in the state he was. Instead, he opted to let the boy carry on with his reading.

Walking over to the bookshelf, Severus browsed for the charms book he needed, and, finding it, he returned to his couch to start studying the spell he needed.

Using Legillemency on Harry would be his absolutely last resort, he would put a monitoring charm on the boy, one that would let him know if the boy was seriously hurt – something more than just scrapes and a bruise or so.

The spell was such that it could also monitor Harry's emotional state, should the boy become exceedingly angry, sad, depressed or have a stronger than normal feel to any specific emotion, Severus would be notified.

Finding the spell, Severus studied it intently. He would tell the boy about the spell and his wish to cast it on him, should Harry be adverse to it he would figure out something else. He would not cast the spell without Harry's permission, the boy would know about the spell because of his adeptness at wandless magic and his keen awareness of his own and other's magic. Severus could only foresee trouble if he should misuse Harry's trust.

Looking at the boy, Severus hoped against hope that he would be able to help the boy and that Harry would trust him enough to allow him to help.

------------------------------------------------------

Harry allowed the charm on the condition that Severus removes it if Harry should decide so. Severus agreed immediately, knowing that should he protest now, then they would accomplish nothing and Harry would not allow him ever to cast the spell.

After first casting the spell, Severus had some trouble getting used to Harry's rapidly changing emotions. He did not know how anyone could live with such fierce passion inside him or her, but, apparently, Harry could.

It was a week after he first cast the spell that something changed. It began as a slow, soft humming in the back of his mind, but as Severus had experienced it before when Harry's emotions changed swiftly and rapidly, he did not pay it too much mind. When it did not fade after ten minutes, he got a bit worried and when it increased to such a level that Severus could ignore it no more, his concern was tangible.

Leaving his potion where it stood, still unfinished, Severus quickly made his way out of the dungeons and up to the great hall. The spell could let Severus know when Harry was distressed but unfortunately, it did not inform him where the boy was.

Finding McGonagall at the head table, Severus quickly explained some of the situation to her. Harry was missing, Severus had a bad feeling about it, could she help him look for the boy? McGonagall knew about Severus's charge but she had not seen him more than three or four times.

Severus gave her a grateful nod when she agreed to help and he returned to the dungeon area, Harry knew that part better than any other part and Severus dearly hoped the boy would be there, not somewhere he did not know well.

Half an hour later, Severus's calm façade had gone and he was stalking the corridors with a fierce scowl on his face. When he found the boy, he would first hug him to death – no, no, he would refrain from doing so – then he would demand that Harry tell him just exactly where he had been and why he insisted on testing Severus's patience.

A silver wisp came floating around the corner and Severus stared at it for a long moment before realizing what it was. McGonagall's patronus. She would only use it if she had found the boy, found him, but could not move him and bring him to Severus.

Heart racing, Severus sped after the patronus, back to its owner.

The scene he came upon was enough to bring him to his knees. NO! NO, no, no ,no NOO! He had promised to help the boy, to keep him safe! How could this have happened right under his nose? Right under all their noses?

McGonagall stood in front of Harry, trying to coax the boy into a warm blanket she had conjured. The boy would have none of it however and kept asking for his Master, if his Master was all right…

In the corner, bound and gagged was Sirius Black. A very naked, bewildered Sirius Black.

From the way Harry kept asking for his Master while looking at Black, Severus could discern what had happened.

Bile rose in his throat as he realized the extent of damage done.

Harry had been regressing since the start of the summer. Black had been living in the castle since the beginning of summer. Harry kept referring to another Master – one Severus thought was a memory of Damen or Dursley. Now, in front of him was the truth, the evidence of what had been causing Harry's regression.

McGonagall's sharp voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Severus! Come get this blanket around the boy, you will need to take him to Poppy, see what she can do for the poor lad." There was ever so slight a note of panic in her voice and Severus hurried over to them.

The sad, haunted look in her eyes made Severus wince but his first priority now was Harry.

Draping the blanket around the now acquiescent boy, Severus turned a hopeless look at McGonagall.

Minerva was eyeing him with confusion and even a bit of suspicion but as Severus carefully lifted the boy in his arms, the look disappeared and she gave him a tremulous smile.

"Go take care of him Severus, get him cleaned up and as healed as possible."

Severus gave her a quick nod.

Turning around to exit the room, Severus's eyes fell on Black and a snarl escaped him. McGonagall's restraining arm prevented him from killing the bastard on the spot but Severus promised himself to do it later.

"Go Severus. I will deal with _him_."

The way she spat the word out and the look of pure, unadulterated hatred on her normally stoic face spurred Severus into motion.

"Do not kill him… yet… Minerva. I wish to be here when that happens."

The choked sob/laugh told him that Minerva would be in no state to control her actions.

Tightening his hold on Harry's trembling frame, Severus gave her a last nod before swiftly making his way to the hospital wing.

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Minerva McGonagall stared after Severus for a long moment. After struggling, unsuccessfully, for five minutes to get a blanket around the boy, only to have him stand compliant when Severus did it, caused a wave of mistrust to well in her but after witnessing the tender way her colleague treated the boy, there was no doubt in her mind that Harry was in good hands.

Severus did not normally show any emotion other than loathing or a blank façade to the world. When he picked Harry up and Minerva saw the concern clearly in his eyes, she knew that there was one person in this world who could calm his normally disagreeable personality - and that was the broken, abused boy he so carefully lifted in his arms.

Turning to her once favorite Gryffindor, Minerva let go of her carefully controlled emotions and relished in the fearful, confused expression on the man's face.

"You are a disgrace, Sirius Black! I cannot believe that you were once a true, loyal Gryffindor, one who strove for what is _right_ in this world! How could you do that to such a young, innocent boy? How could you do something like that to _anyone_? Why, Sirius? Why?!?"

By the end of her ranting, her voice was but a whisper, her anguish clear and tears streaming down her cheeks unchecked.

"What had that boy ever done to you Sirius? No, no, not only that young boy, but _anyone_ Sirius! How could you ever do that to a person? How could you violate another human being in such a despicable way?"

"Didn't hear him complaining, now did I?"

A loud slap rang through the air and McGonagall turned around, lest she do something irreversible.

"You are an adult Sirius Black. You are supposed to set an example! I do not know, nor do I wish to know, what that boy has been through. I know that Severus took him from Damen Nott and after everything I have heard of that man, I can only say that the boy is very lucky that Severus found him and took him. No matter how _compliant_ the boy seemed Sirius, he is a _boy!_ A young child who looks up to adults for guidance, for acceptance. He might not have put up a fight Sirius Black, but that does not take away from the fact that what you did was _rape!_."

Black flinched at her words, which only enraged Minerva more.

"I can not look at you a moment longer Sirius Black, or I might loose my lunch."

"I just have one question Black, just answer me this. Why? Why did you do it?"

It was clear to Minerva that the man was not right in his mind, that the years in Azkaban had done irreparable damage, but it did not excuse his actions.

"He's James, so much like James. James can't live, why should he? Even smell like James, and Lily. Sweet, sweet Lily. Dead, both dead. The boy is alive, why is he alive when they are dead?"

The ramblings continued but Minerva tuned him out.

She did not think that Sirius Black ever had any romantic involvement with either James or Lily, but after more than a decade in Azkaban, anything was possible. He could be expressing his grief and loss this way. He could possibly be trying to remember them by being as close as possibly to someone who reminded him of them so much.

Minerva just hoped that his actions did not damage the poor boy in such a way that it was irreparable, because no matter his mental condition, Sirius Black would pay for his crimes. Minerva would make sure of it.

Sirius's ramblings triggered something in her mind as she made her way up to Albus's office.

_Harry?_

**End Chapter 11**

Sorry this chapter was a bit late; I have uploaded my artwork to Fictionalley's Art section, as well as my own new website :). Please have a look at it :)

You can find it here: (Just take out the spaces :))

h t t p / w w w . a r t i s t i c a l l e y . o r g / g a l l e r y / s h o w g a l l e r y . p h p ? c a t 5 0 0 & p p u s e r 1 0 0 7 0 3

h t t p / w w w . f r e e w e b s . c o m / b l i n d e d h p / h a r r y p o t t e r f a n a r t . h t m

There are more artwork on my 'freewebs' website than on artisticalley because they take WAY too long to upload their stuff.

I will make and upload a painting of most of the characters (about 2 a week), Draco is already finished, I just have to do the background, Ron and Ginny is already drawn, I just have to paint them. :)

Would you please leave a comment and tell me what you think? Should I continue, or is my artistic talents somewhat lacking? I can take the truth so don't hold back :) :)

Please review:)


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!!

**AN:** Really sorry about the delay guys! I was sick in bed for a week and had to catch up on my work first, but I'm better now and updates would be more regular again.

_Sirius's ramblings triggered something in her mind as she made her way up to Albus's office._

Harry?

**Chapter 12**

Minerva swiftly made her way to the hospital wing. The last hour spent in the headmaster's office was a revelation. Albus always looked after his students, cared for them as a headmaster should, and put their needs above his own. That Albus refused to do the same for any other child however, grated on Minerva and she could not help but feel as if Albus was betraying everyone else in the wizarding world with his actions.

To blame Severus's young charge for what happened tonight was the last straw and Minerva bid Albus goodnight before the man could utter any other nonsense.

She needed to find Severus, quickly. There were so many questions burning inside her, questions that she was certain she knew the answers of, but as it would change _everything_ she believed in, she would not take the chance by just assuming the truth.

Softly opening the doors to the infirmary, Minerva slipped inside and gave a nod to Poppy – who was busy writing something in her office. Walking over to the only occupied bed, Minerva stopped beside Severus's still frame and just watched the two black heads for a moment.

The boy was sleeping peacefully and Minerva would bet her private stack of catnip that it was only because Poppy – or Severus – had forced some Dreamless Sleep down his throat. She could not imagine anyone sleeping peacefully after what happened to Harry, not without the aid of potions.

Severus had most probably also taken a dose or Minerva would have been facing the end of his wand the moment she entered the room. There was a shield around the bed, one that had Severus's distinct signature, and Minerva smiled when she felt it. It was a protective shield, one that would wake Severus the moment something interrupted Harry's sleep, whether by nightmares or outside influence. It would also prevent anyone wishing Harry harm from getting too close and would bind that person the moment he or she touched the shield.

As she turned around, Minerva heard a soft rustle and looked back as Harry shifted slightly in bed, his hand reaching out and grabbing hold of Severus's robes. It could have been her imagination, but Minerva could have sworn she heard a contented sigh from Severus.

Shaking her head and blaming her thoughts on the distressing events of the evening, Minerva turned and made her way out of the hospital wing, back to her chambers and to a hot, relaxing bath.

Tomorrow would come, and with it new developments, new associates and the caring of one troubled boy, but for now, Minerva would indulge herself a bit – it could be her last relaxing bath in weeks, if not months.

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Severus sat up straight as the alarm charm alerted him to Harry's distress. The boy whimpered in his sleep and Severus grabbed the hand that was busy scratching at the boy's forehead. The lightning bolt scar stood out in sharp contrast against the pale skin, red and angry looking.

It was a testament to Harry's distress that he dropped the glamour hiding his scar – the boy had not dropped it even after what Black did.

Looking around the room, Severus was relieved to see that they were alone and he quickly turned to the boy to rouse him. He could not take the chance that anyone sees the scar.

After the third sharp call of 'Harry!', the boy still did not wake and Severus pulled him upright, shaking his shoulders ever so slightly.

The doors to the infirmary opened just as Harry gasped and his eyes snapped open. Harry's gasp drowned that of the newcomer but Severus heard it nonetheless and he turned around with a scowl and glare firmly in place. _Obvliate_ would not be out of the question, but as Severus saw Minerva standing there, he knew it would not be necessary.

His colleague composed herself quickly and Severus glared a silent message at her as she neared the bed.

She nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement, and Severus turned back to his charge.

Harry was looking at Minerva with a strange expression on his face. The boy blushed suddenly and ducked his head. Severus had no doubt that Harry just remembered it was Minerva who found him the previous night.

Minerva did and said nothing however, and Harry slowly raised his head again. The boy refused to look at Severus but he did lean closer to him. Harry suddenly raised his hand to his head and a horrified expression crossed his face a moment before his forehead smoothed out.

Minerva looked startled at the display of magic but kept her comments to herself.

"Do not worry Harry. I will keep your secret safe."

Severus gave her a tight nod and when he turned back and found Harry's questioning, uncertain eyes directed at him, he gave a more encouraging nod to the boy. Yes Harry, you can trust Minerva.

It was not necessary to voice his thoughts, as Harry understood him well.

Parchment and quill appeared before Harry and this time Minerva only blinked at the boy's ability. She did however; cast a look at Severus that spoke volumes.

There was no doubt in his mind that Harry would receive extra help and lessons this year. If there was one thing Minerva could not pass up, it was the opportunity to work with a student who showed promise and ability beyond the average.

_May we go home now Master?_

The parchment hovered in front of Severus and he snatched it out of the air with a scowl.

"You just woke up after a very disturbing night and want to go home already? You are still healing, not to mention that Poppy has not had the opportunity to fuss over you. So no, I am afraid you are not going to leave here just yet."

Harry lowered his head as he nodded meekly and Severus suppressed the urge to sigh aloud.

He settled Harry back down on the bed, tucked the blanket up to his chin and then studiously avoided Minerva's amused eyes.

"We will have a long talk when you are well again, be sure of that, but for now, you should get some sleep. Do you require a potion for a Dreamless sleep?"

The boy shook his head and Severus gave him a dubious glance. Harry refused to ask for help and it took a lot of coaxing to get him to accept help. Severus did not think he had the patience for it tonight though and left the boy to his own devices.

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Severus lay in bed, his thoughts swirling through his mind in a confusing whirlwind of guilt, shame, anger and frustration.

He was the boy's protector. The boy looked up to him as his Master, and what did he do, he argued with the boy, degraded him and refused to take up the responsibility the boy so clearly needed him to take.

The thought of being the boy's Master, of having Harry as his submissive, was appealing and Severus fought with his mind against his heart as he squashed down the idea of taking that role up there-and-then.

No matter how Harry might feel now, a Master was not what he needed at the moment. Severus would be Harry's friend first and foremost, he would be a willing ear to listen, a comforting presence when the boy needed it and he would be the advisor Harry so clearly needed.

When Harry reached the age of consent, when Severus was certain that Harry knew exactly what he wanted and needed in his life, then, and only then, would Severus approach the boy about the Dominant/submissive relationship.

To take charge of Harry now, to enter into the relationship as the boy's Master now would be the worst mistake of his life. Harry would accept it with open arms, he was sure, but the boy would never learn that he could and should make his own choices in life. He would never learn, not without Severus helping and teaching him, that he was a decent human being and others should respect him as much as anyone else.

Most important of all though, Severus would help him understand that he, Harry, should respect himself, for if he did not respect himself then no one would respect him.

With that last thought in mind, Severus fell into a troubled sleep.

**End Chapter 12**

I know, I know, it is VERY short and really not at a place I would usually leave it but as my time is limited for this week, while I catch up on my work, you will have to be satisfied with what you get :) :)

Don't worry, Sirius (and Dumbledore) will be dealt with. First though, Harry needs to be cared for.

Please review:)


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic is SNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings:** This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements with Snape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**IMPORTANT AN:** I'm really sorry about how long this took. I switched to another division in my dad's company and did not have 'everyday access' to the internet for four months. I'm now connected via my cell-phone to my laptop so I will endeavor to update more regularly now. 

Your inputs and inspiration is a great help and I look forward to writing again:) Sorry again for the wait but I hope and believe that chapters will resume as usual now – every day or every other day :)

_Most important of all though, Severus would help him understand that he, Harry, should respect himself, for if he did not respect himself then no one would respect him._

_With that last thought in mind, Severus fell into a troubled sleep._

**Chapter 13**

Severus scowled at his colleague as the woman finished her tirade. Minerva had accepted Harry's identity with surprisingly few questions and supported both Severus and his charge 100.

What grated on his nerves however was the fact that the woman was reluctant to admit that Dumbledore was not the kind and loving Headmaster everyone assumed. She insisted that something was wrong with the old fool and would not hear otherwise. Severus had known for years now that something was wrong with the old man, but in his opinion, it was just that the man was an egotistical, shallow minded, heartless manipulator who decided his best pawns would be children.

The woman might have known him for decades longer and more intimately, – it was a rumor from the students that Severus actually agreed with – but that did not necessarily mean that she knew him best.

Severus's pride refused to budge on the topic and his heart agreed with no protest.

Minerva sighed and shook her head slightly.

"It is truly troubling that Albus would let such a thing happen. More troubling still is that he blames the boy for what happened. I do not know if knowledge of Harry's identity would have swayed him but it should not be necessary in the first place. His behavior is not that of the Albus Dumbledore I knew twenty years ago."

Severus shot a triumphant look at the woman at that but scowled as she continued.

"Recent events and actions have been more noticeable and I truly think we should make an appointment for him at St. Mungos or even a muggle psychologist or psychiatrist."

"You can not honestly expect me to blame his recent misconduct and grievous mistakes on mental instability! Whatever they find in or about his mind does not change the fact that he ignored a child in need. If something is honestly wrong with the man then he should have asked for help. Pride is no excuse for such despicable behavior. To put your pride above that of human needs is wrong and should be punishable by law. I will see to it personally that Albus Dumbledore is stripped of all titles of 'honor' or 'prestige' and that he spends the rest of his life in prison."

Minerva blinked and turned her head away. Severus could see that she was fighting tears and felt a pang of regret for laying this at her feet.

Should rumors actually be correct this time, Severus did not want to think about how his colleague would feel at the moment. To find out a loved one was mentally unstable had to be hard on anyone. For that loved one to be an idolized icon in their world was worse than anything he could imagine. Questions would be asked. Accusations and finger pointing not far behind. Minerva would need all the friends she could get and Severus would not abandon his friend now in her time of need.

"I am sorry Minerva. I know you were close to Albus but we must face facts. A young boy is in the infirmary as we speak because of the callous disregard of one man and the disgusting viciousness of another. Should a mental problem be the cause of Albus's actions then we will take steps to heal him as best we could. The complaints against him will stand however, and he will have to face the charges against him, along with the consequences."

Severus trailed off here as he took in his friend's features. Minerva was on the brink of collapse and Severus was not helping the situation one bit with his harsh – though true – words. 

"Get some rest Minerva. We will contact Mad-Eye tomorrow to pick up Black and let them deal with him for now. We have enough problems here to be going on with."

A tight nod was his answer and Severus watched Minerva's retreating frame until she disappeared around a corner.

With a sigh that contained weariness, despair, guilt and anger, Severus turned and made his way to the hospital wing where he hoped he would find some kind of inspiration in this hopeless situation.

Harry looked up as the infirmary doors opened and quickly closed his eyes as his Master's towering frame entered.

His thoughts were a jumbled mess of confusion and Harry did not know what, if anything, to say to his Master. He remembered thoughts of another Master, remembered the pain of being penetrated without preparation and being told off for whimpering in pain when his Master claimed his body.

He knew, deep down, that Master Severus was different. That Master Severus would never hurt Harry but he could not help but think that his Master should have known what was happening to Harry. Did two Masters not always brag together about their slaves? Did their Masters not always compare them with other slaves to find those most worthy of a Master?

"…did to you. I repeat Harry; none of what happened was your fault. You are not to blame for what Sirius Black did to you."

Harry looked up as the words finally penetrated his brain and then blinked as their meaning became clear. What?

"I truly wish that I had figured this out sooner Harry. If I had known what that man was doing to you, I could have prevented it from happening again. If I had known about his perversion, I could maybe have prevented it from happening in the first place."

The words and meaning took a while to become clear but when Harry finally realized what his Master was saying he could not believe his ears.

His Master had not known? His Master blamed himself now because he had not known about it earlier? Harry could understand, somewhat, if his Master felt a bit guilty had he known about it but for the man to blame himself when he had not even known… it was unthinkable.

Sure, the penetration had hurt but what could his Master have done? Told his other Master to prepare him better? It had still been years since Harry had last had a real Master and would still have hurt. He knew that. Why didn't his Master?

"Preparations for a new guardian will commence immediately and I am certain that Minerva will agree if I ask her."

Harry stared at his Master in horror.

"I would still like to see you from time to time, to help you as best I could. You will still be in the castle and will still be able to go to Hogsmeade school."

A chocking sound escaped his Master's throat and Harry scooted a bit closer to the man. What exactly was happening here?

Harry really did not want to leave his Master. Master Snape had been a very good Master since the beginning. Harry did not deserve such a Master and realized that this was probably his punishment for not paying his Master back all these years.

Tears sprang to his eyes and Harry buried his face in the closest thing available; his Master's chest.

Severus looked down at the head buried in his chest. His throat closed up as a lump formed and Severus hesitantly put an arm around the boy's' shaking shoulders.

He knew from the start that the boy would not be happy with the new arrangement. Knew that Harry would feel as if it was his fault, as if this was a punishment for some transgression or another.

As the fault lay at the feet of the adults in the boy's life, Severus could not help but feel guilty for now adding to the boy's distress.

It would be best of course if the boy could stay with him but Severus was uncertain if he was the best person to look after the boy at the moment.

He cared for Harry of course. Cared very deeply for him but would that be enough? Would the care and comfort of one adult in his life be enough to help Harry through this? Severus did not think so.

Minerva entered the wing silently and Severus lay Harry back on the bed and tucked the blankets up to his chin.

Motioning Minerva to the door, Severus quietly explained the situation to her.

After fifteen minutes of arguing, Minerva said something that stopped Severus's protests in his throat.

"If you give that boy a new guardian now, after all that happened, he will feel like you abandoned him. He will have nothing familiar around him. Nothing to fall back on should he find himself in a strange and unfamiliar situation. No Severus, the boy stays with you. He needs a constant in his life right now. Something that he knows and trusts. If not you as a person, then at least he will know and trust the situation he is in. Be there for the boy Severus, if not as a Master then at least as someone familiar, someone he knows and has learned to trust."

Severus turned to face the figure on the bed and the aching in his heart intensified as Harry unconsciously reached out for something that was not there.

"Be there for the boy Severus. He needs you now more than ever."

Was that true? Was he, Severus Snape actually _needed_ for once in his life?

"We will keep his identity secret for the time being Severus. Until he is ready to face what will come."

------------------------------------------------------

Harry looked up as the door to the library opened. School started the next day for him and Harry felt a strange apprehension forming in his stomach. It had been two weeks since his Master found out about Master Black and the strain on their relationship was taking its toll. Master Severus still insisted that Harry call him Professor or anything other than Master.

He did not understand exactly _why_ he could not call the man thus but he respected the decision and remembered Blaise's reaction when Harry had called the Professor Master.

Hogwarts and the Hogsmeade school was already underway with a new school term and Harry had missed the first week of classes but as per Madam Pomfrey's instructions, Harry would only return the next day.

Shika fluttered around his head a few times before landing on his shoulder. Professor Snape had expressed his interest in the creature and the fact that not only had it not disappeared yet like all the others, but also it had actually grown a bit. Something which no transfigured animal had ever done. The Professor believed it had to do with the fact that Harry treated it like an actual living being rather than a project as everyone else had.

"This could be the discovering of a new form of magic." Professor Snape had said and after reading a few books, Harry conceded that he agreed with the man.

"Are you ready to start the new year at school? I went through the last of your assignments and the corrections are on the paper next to it. Best get it done before bed so you can get a full night's rest."

_Yes sir._

Harry's unconscious use of magic had increased over the summer and sometimes all it took was a half formed thought for his parchment and quill to appear.

Professor McGonagall had created a schedule and Harry's lessons with her started the following day, after classes. Professor Snape had also agreed to help Harry and both had come to an agreement as to time and subject.

The Professor gave him a searching look before nodding once and returning to his markings.

Harry sighed and stood up from the floor, his legs bending a bit as he placed weight on it after hours of sitting in one position. Shaking the stiffness out of his legs, Harry quickly collected his assignments and started on his corrections. There weren't too many and Harry was thankful for that. He had put a lot of thought into these and it had paid off. 

As Harry settled in for the night, Professor Snape entered his room and brought a chair up next to his bed.

"Harry, I have put a lot of thought into our situation and the events of the past few weeks and have come to a decision which I hope will benefit us both."

Harry looked at the man and could not help but feel a little apprehensive and scared.

Was this now when the Professor finally realized he was a lost cause and sent him away?

"I know someone, an old acquaintance, who will be able to help you understand what exactly happened to you and why. He was in a similar situation himself and since he first realized exactly what was going on and how his world worked, he has made himself available to others in similar situations to help them through their fears and insecurities."

Harry did not understand what any of this meant or had to do with him but he believed the Professor and knew that the man only had his best interest at heart.

"What he will tell you might not make a lot of sense and you might even rebel against it but it is the truth. He will help you, heal you and make sure that you can grow into the man you are meant to be. Do not fear however, I will be here, always, and if you have any questions after a session with him, ask me and I will answer to the best of my abilities."

Nothing made sense anymore and Harry just nodded his head meekly. He did not know what was going on or what to do. Raising confused and questioning eyes to the one man he thought he could learn to trust, Harry was met with a sigh and the man stepped closer, as if knowing that Harry was about to collapse.

Strong arms caught him and though nothing was said, Harry felt safe and secure in the knowledge that these arms would always be there to catch him should he fall.

**End Chapter 13**

From Chapter 14 onward, I will again try to make it a chapter a year and a chapter for the summer holidays.

After months of not writing (typing), my muse is a bit shy to come out again and any inspiration from your side is much appreciated:)

Should I make it so Harry enters Hogwarts at some time or should he finish his schooling at Hogsmeade. When should the rest of the wizarding world find out about him?

Please review:)


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic isSNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings: **This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements withSnape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!  
**I just want to thank one of my reviewers profusely for their wonderful defence of my story/writing!  
Thank you Lill Snape! **  
Lill Snape wrote: Whoa - the review from (Solomon dated April 21/2008) was really not called for = totally rude. Personally I would be ashamed to admit that with "3 of us trying to read this story"; that indicates to me that you (3) don't even equate to 1 brain between yourselves. Also if as the reviewer said: "I am trying to keep up with your little story if you are going to be so way off at least try not to put us to sleep" = if you find the story so ineffectual - STOP READING IT "FOOLS". The author (just in case you obviously can not read) already stated that the storyline is geared to the author's idea of timeframe and timelines = so get a life and leave the author alone; as IT IS the author's right to write as they desire NOT as the reader desires. If a reviewer wants to read what the review wrote then GO WRITE A STORY YOURSELVES. Sorry Blinded_HP; I just saw red when I read that "Anonymous" review by that jerk. I as well as a number of other reviewers are really enjoying your work and wish that you would consider completing the story/ies you where good enough to post for us. I hope that you DO have a great day - bye for now

**IMPORTANT AN: **It has been years since I've last updated this fic but I am now a happily married woman and work from home, thus I have more than enough time to spend on writing fiction!

I have decided that Harry will not be entering Hogwarts as a student at all during this fic. He will complete his education in Hogsmeade school and his identity will remain a secret for a couple more years.

**Chapter 14**

**_Sirius Black found! _**  
_Sirius Black has been found and after questioning under Veritaserum – on demand from Albus Dumbledore – it has been found and confirmed that one Peter Pettigrew is the person responsible for the deaths of James and Lily Potter. Black confessed that James Potter changed secret keepers to fool You-Know-Who and the public._

It has been determined that all evidence against Sirius Black regarding the fateful incident of 31 October 1981 is now null and void. A public apology will be sent out and a sum paid into the Black account as collateral for the years he had been unable to work due to imprisonment.

**However**, dear readers, it was with some shock that the questioner found very damning evidence of other, very despicable sins that Sirius Black committed.

While questioned under Veritaserum, Black was helpless to answer anything but the truth to his questions. The questioner asked Black where he had been hiding and what he did the past year since his escape and though some interesting things had been discovered during the questioning, it was only when Black came to the last month that the real atrocities of this man came to light.

Under Veritaserum, Black confessed to lusting after a certain boy – the name of the boy is not known as Black himself did not know the boy personally – and after months of stalking the boy in his animagus form (he is a black dog), Black was finally able to act on this lust after Albus Dumbledore granted him access to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the summer holidays.

Yes, my dear readers, Black sexually assaulted a young boy within the halls of the very school where most of your students are receiving their education.

An investigation has been launched against Albus Dumbledore and his decision to help and aid such a dangerous criminal.

Severus stopped reading and a satisfied smirk formed as he thought of the damage done to Albus's reputation just through this one article.

The fact that Harry's identity had not leaked out was a mercy and Severus thanked every deity he could think of that Harry had never told Black his name.

The door to his quarters opened and Severus watched as Harry gave him a tentative smile before putting down his school bag on the table and fishing out his homework.

School had started 3 weeks ago and after Harry re-joined his classmates 2 weeks ago, things between them had been strained but bearable.

Harry's first session with Edwin had gone over quite well and although Severus himself had not been there, the smiles that returned to Harry's face after just one session with the therapist comforted Severus and assured him that he had made the right decision.

"There will be a tournament held here at Hogwarts this year and although Albus is now under questioning – read the paper, you'll understand then – the decision was already made and finalized last year so the board of governors has decided to continue with the tournament."

_What kind of tournament Mas… er, Professor?_

The paper floated over to Severus and he fought the scowl that wanted to surface at the boy's slip. He had to remind himself that Harry had a huge setback on his improvement and it would take a while for him to get used to not calling him "Master" again.

"It is called the 'Tri-wizard Tournament' and as the name suggest, it is a competition held between three schools. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Durmstrang Institute and Hogwarts will participate in this tournament. Unlike the gem-cut tournament, this tournament will only have 3 champions, one champion for each participating school. The challenges will be much more difficult than what you had to do and has even been deadly in the past."

_You mean some students D,D, DIED during this tournament?_

Severus looked over at Harry and quickly walked over to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Andy's death was still a sore subject for Harry and any situation that may lead to death had Harry close to hyperventilating.

"Yes, Harry, some students have lost their lives during this tournament but as our knowledge of magic and technology grows, we endeavour to make this tournament as safe as possible.

Now, the reason I told you this is because the other two schools will be arriving with their hopeful champions – _rash, irresponsible children more like!_! - on 30 October and will be staying at Hogwarts for the duration of the tournament.

Even though the other two schools will have their own lodgings, chances are high that you will come across some of them when going to and coming back from school. Do NOT engage in any conversation with them and if one of them stops you along the way, just nod once politely and walk on your way. Come straight back here everyday and if any trouble arises, tell me immediately!"

Harry gave him a strange look but nodded at the raised eyebrow he received.

"Good, now get back to your homework, I have essays to grade."

Harry gave him a beaming smile and quickly settled himself at his table to continue his homework.

Severus watched him for a few minutes, marvelling at the Amphiptere that was fluttering around Harry's head even 4 months after everyone expected it to return to it's normal state.

Shaking his thoughts from his head, Severus turned and reluctantly started his marking, writing a scathing comment on the first essay about not quoting anything straight from a book! 

* * *

Harry hurriedly made his way to Professor Snape's quarters. Shika was flying ahead of him, already knowing the way to her human's nest, and came to a halt before the door, waiting patiently for Harry to open the door before shooting in and flying straight to the clock on the wall.

Harry wasn't sure why exactly the little Amphiptere liked that specific spot but thought it might have something to do with the fact that Shika could see the whole room from atop the clock.

The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived the week before and the champions had been chosen.

Professor Snape had ranted and raved about incompetent, foolish students who thought they were better than others when he came back one night and Harry was able to ascertain after a lengthy rant that Neville Longbottom's name had also come out of the Goblet of Fire and announced him as a fourth champion.

Harry had only met Neville once, and he shied away from the memories that encounter brought to his mind, but the boy did not strike him as someone who would enter himself in such a dangerous tournament just for fame.

Knowing better than to voice this opinion to Professor Snape, Harry wisely kept quiet.

School was going alright for Harry, if a bit boring and he was looking forward to a relaxing evening in front of the fire with one of Professor Snape's advanced Potion books.

Just as he got himself settled with the book there was a knock on the door. Knowing that it could only be one of three people, Harry hesitantly stood to allow the visitor entrance.

Professor McGonagall had insisted that Harry attend lessons with her in private so that she could help him advance in Transfiguration but as his next lesson with her was only in three days, he did not think it would be her.

The only other two that ever came to Professor Snape's quarters was Blaise or Dumbledore. Harry had never been alone when Professor Dumbledore showed up and was hoping that this would not change now.

Opening the door, Harry sighed in relief when the enthusiastic "Harry!" greeted him.

Ushering his friend in, Harry already had quill and parchment floating next to him as he closed the door.

_Would you like anything to drink?_

"Do you have butterbeer?" Blaised asked and Harry nodded quickly before leading the way to the kitchen.

Opening a cupboard, Harry extracted two bottles of butterbeer and the two friends settled themselves at the table.

Magic still amazed Harry, even after 3 years of living in a castle that fairly vibrated with magic. The cupboard had a special charm on it that kept anything inside at the perfect temperature, almost like a normal fridge except the cupboard also kept frozen things frozen without affecting any of the other consumables.

"So what do you think of the Triwizard Harry? Did you hear that Longbottom's name was also called?"

Harry looked at his friend and gave him a soft smile. Even though he would never be as enthusiastic or exuberant as Andy, Blaise had become more comfortable in Harry's presence and asked almost as many questions as Andy used to.

Fighting back the sting in his eyes, Harry concentrated on answering Blaise's question.

I think the tournament is too dangerous for children, even if they are of age, they are still not qualified to deal with dangerous animals and situations. As forLongbottom, I think that someone most likely wants the boy dead or seriously hurt.

I will not be surprised if Professor Snape comes back one night with another entertaining story of a "Dumbledore from the future", coming to berate the headmaster.

Harry smiled in remembrance of the night when Professor Snape told him that it had in actual fact been Neville's grandmother who berated the headmaster.

Blaise gave him a funny look and Harry just smiled back innocently, knowing that his friend was unaware of the true identity of the "future Dumbledore".

"I agree with you on that the students are too young to participate. I just hope that the reputation this tournament has gained for killing it's participants does not hold true for this one."

Harry nodded silently in agreement.

"So, what do you want to do tonight? Do you want to play some exploding snap, or chess?"

Harry thought for a moment before deciding on chess, he wanted something that would occupy his mind and not let it wander too much. Edwin had advised Harry that he should find something that could keep his concentration for a while, because if he let his mind wander, he might start thinking about his Master – NOT my Master! Harry berated himself, he still had trouble with accepting that Sirius Black was not, and had never been his Master, that he in fact had no Master at all.

Reading helped keep his mind occupied and now that Blaise was there, chess sounded like an excellent idea.

Edwin explained to him at every session he had, what a true Master did and what a consensual Dominant/submissive relationship consisted of.

Edwin made it clear that he did not want Harry to think of himself in any such relationship, just to picture in his mind what such a relationship was like and then compare it to what he had endured at the hands of Vernon and Master Damon.

It was hard for Harry at first to think back on those times but Edwin encouraged him to do so while he was with the man because he was in a "controlled environment" as Edwin called it. Harry was now able to realize that what he had gone through at the hands of Damon was not a consensual relationship. He still had trouble not thinking of the man as Master but at least he could admit to himself that what Master Damon had done was not right and that Harry had every right to say no to any such situation.

Master Sirius was a bit different because Harry was older when he came into his life and the encounters were still fresh in his mind but Harry knew that this situation was similar to Master Damon in that they were NOT consensual.

Harry was brought back from his musings by Blaise's quiet voice.

"Are you alright Harry?"

Smiling at his friend and concentrating on the game before him, Harry forgot all about his previous Masters and focussed on the here and now. 

* * *

Severus blinked at the parchment floating in front of his face and after the words registered in his mind he had to squash down any unwanted feelings it stirred.

"Blaise asked you to go to the Yule ball with him? Well, I personally have no problem with that but I'm afraid Albus might not allow it. You know he put restrictions on you and any interaction you might have with students in this school."

Harry's face dropped and Severus gave a tired sigh.

"I will ask the headmaster but can make no promises Harry. Don't get your hopes up yet, alright?

Even though Albus is under investigation, he is at the moment still the headmaster of this school and can enforce any rule he deems necessary."

Harry nodded but the hopeful look in his eye did not diminish and Severus hoped dearly that he would not have to crush it with a negative reply from Albus.

"Regardless of what the headmaster says, I think it would be a good idea to go with Blaise and just enjoy yourself like a child should. If the headmaster will not allow you to the ball, we will arrange for something to be done over the holidays that you and Blaise can do together."

Severus ignored the traitorous thought that insisted that Harry should not go out with anyone but _him_. 

* * *

Severus gave Blaise a handshake and a quiet "Thank you" as the boy left their quarters after a very long night.

The Yule ball ended three hours ago but Severus could not find it in himself to chase the boy back to his dorms any earlier.

Harry had reverted back to the silent, shy boy of a few years ago when Severus gave him the very unwelcome news that Albus would not allow him to attend the ball, even though one of the students had invited him.

When the ball had slowed down to a close with only a few couples dancing close together, Blaise had asked Severus if he could spend a few hours with Harry.

Thinking of the depressed, quiet boy in his quarters, Severus had agreed immediately.

As Blaise made his way back to his dorm now and Severus quietly closed the door behind him, he sent a quiet "thanks" after the boy again for brining Harry back to his usual self.

Blaise had first just gone to Harry's room where the two of them conversed quietly for an hour before brining Harry out into the living room where he then proceeded to ask Severus to put on the wireless and the two boys had danced the night away.

Severus remembered the look of content that had come to Harry's face as he leaned his head against his friend's shoulder while they slowly moved around the room.

There was no doubt in Severus's mind that the two boys cared deeply for each other and despite any negative reactions he had towards Blaise for being the one to comfort Harry, Severus knew that Blaise was a good influence on Harry.

Opening the door to Harry's room, Severus quietly made his way over to the boy and tucked the blankets around the thin form.

Harry gave a soft sigh and snuggled deeper into the blankets. Severus brushed a wayward hair out of Harry's face, turned around and made his way to his own room. 

* * *

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You could have been killed! You could have ended up in the hospital with that little stunt you pulled!"

Severus paced back and forth in front of the cowed boy standing by the table. He knew he was being too harsh on Harry but the boy had scared him half to death!

"Dragons are one of the most dangerous animals alive! Longbottom was in the infirmary for a week after the first task because of the burns one of them inflicted.

What were you thinking!"

Harry looked up as Severus's tirade came to an end.

Tears streamed down his face as his quill quickly scribbled the reply his thought directed to it.

I'm sorry Professor! Really sorry! Shika flew off just as we entered the grounds after school and I had to get her! I can't loose her Professor, she's my friend! I didn't know that it was the Dragon enclosure she entered, I promise. There were no wards preventing me from entering and the gate was open!

As soon as I had Shika and saw the Dragons, I ran out! The gate is too small for the dragons to get out so we were safe. That's when you grabbed me and brought me here, I promise I did not go in there on purpose! I know that I have to come straight back home after school. I know that!

Severus ignored the tone that transposed even into writing because he was too caught up in one single word.

Home

Harry had called their quarters home.

Severus did not know whether he should punish the boy for his foolish actions or smother him to death for advancing to such a stage that he could call a place home.

Severus had no doubt that most of the progress Harry had made were all due to the dedication and patience of Edwin Greengrass.

Edwin had been in a very similar situation to Harry's own before he found a Master worthy of it's title and with the patience and dedication necessary to help the lost and misguided Edwin to become the man he was now.

Deciding against punishing Harry as it had been an honest accident, Severus instead cautioned him to be more careful, gave a brief squeeze to his shoulder and returned to his work.

Severus could see the bewildered expression on Harry's face but could not voice his thoughts for fear of embarrassing himself by praising the boy for his use of the word "home". He doubted Harry even realised he'd said it or the significance in admitting that he had a place to call "home". Severus just silently thanked Edwin for his patience and hard work. It was definitely paying off. 

* * *

Severus rushed through the throngs of people who were screaming in hysterics as two bodies materialized in front of the judges.

His mark had been steadily burning on his arm and he knew exactly what it meant, the thought that Harry's very own personal mark from Voldemort could be hurting the boy at this very moment had spurred Severus into action.

Pushing a crying student out of his way, Severus swept up to the castle and down to his quarters in a matter of minutes.

Barking out the password, Severus pushed the door open and immediately rushed to Harry's side when he saw the boy curled up in a ball on the floor.

Harry was scratching at his forehead while mumbling "no, no, no, you killed them! You killed them! No!"

It did not take a genius to guess who Harry was talking about and Severus bent his knees, scooped the boy into his arms and straightened himself before making his way to Harry's room.

Gently laying the boy on his bed, Severus quickly summoned a pain relieving draught as well as a dreamless sleep potion.

The fact that Harry had seen and experienced whatever had happened to Diggory and Longbottom, made Severus's heartbeat speed up tenfold. It did not bade well for Harry that he could see the actions of a mad man and Severus vowed to himself that he would teach the boy occlumency, starting this summer. 

* * *

Harry was subdued and extra quiet the last few weeks of term. After coming home from school he would immediately start on any homework he had before grabbing one of the advanced books Severus had on the shelf and immersing himself in his studies.

Harry had now read through Severus's textbooks that he had as a student in 5th year and was steadily making his way through all Severus's Sixth year textbooks.

They had short discussions about some of the topics in the books and Severus would explain any concepts that Harry did not understand but other than school work, Harry did not converse with Severus about anything.

He had been encouraging Harry to talk every day and although there had been no progress yet, he knew that Harry was slowly starting to trust Severus and trust the fact that he was indeed allowed to talk.

Severus hoped that he would be able to get Harry over his fear of people and punishment should he talk, this summer. They had nothing specific planned for the summer so Severus was going to focus a lot of his attention on building Harry's trust in people, but specifically in him.

He hoped he would be strong enough to do it.

**End Chapter 14**

For those of you who did not read the AN at the beginning of the chapter, I am now a happily married wife and work from home, thus, I will have more than enough time to concentrate on my writings.

I know most of you are wondering the same thing: "Is Blaise and Harry going to get together in this?" The answer is yes, they are. In order for Harry to move past his previous experiences regarding "relationships", I feel it is necessary for him to experience a normal, teenaged relationship with someone he calls friend. The main relationship will always be Sev/Harry but to get to that stage we must first make sure that Harry knows exactly what he wants….

Next chapter will be up tomorrow!


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic isSNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings: **This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements withSnape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**IMPORTANT AN: **Allow me to address some issues I am sure will arise after the last chapter. In my opinion, Moody was never found because Barty Crouch Jr never took Harry (or anyone else) to his office after the third task, both Neville and Cedric is dead – that is after all where Harry found the real Moody in the trunk. Moody is still missing and people are unsure about why exactly he left Hogwarts – it was never revealed that Barty was impersonating him.  
Barty left Hogwarts because he knew that his Master had returned and wanted to be reunited with him.  
So, just in case you were wondering about that specific situation, that is my take on it… :D

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Severus wearily made his way back to his quarters after the funeral. It was decided by the board of governors that a memorial service was to be held for the two students lost in the Triwizard Tournament. The families of both students held a funeral for them shortly after the tournament but the memorial was done on the last day of school.

As Severus entered his quarters, Harry looked up from his work and gave him a tentative smile. Albus would still not allow Harry to interact with any of the students except for Blaise and thus Harry had remained in their quarters for the duration of the memorial.

_How did the service go Professor?_

Severus took the flying parchment out of the air and walked over to Harry where he then proceeded to make himself comfortable in a chair opposite the boy.

"As well as can be expected. The students were all in various stages of grief, although Ms Granger was probably the most inconsolable of the lot. She seemed to care a great deal about Mr Longbottom and his death hit her hard."

Severus could see that the reminder of another death at the school was not doing Harry any good but there was nothing Severus could do about it. Andy's death had been a great tragedy and though there were speculations going about why TWO of the champions had suddenly died, Severus knew that all three deaths were directly linked to Voldemort.

He was uncertain as to how exactly Voldemort had been able to preserve himself in a diary for so long and also didn't know what kind of magic was at work for him to regain a body through the diary but he knew for a fact that the young boy down in the chambers was Voldemort when he was younger. Harry had probably saved them all from an even earlier rise of Voldemort by destroying that diary but now the monster had returned.

"You should go shower and get to bed Harry. We will have a busy week the first week of the holidays – no, don't ask, you'll know by tomorrow – and after thatBlaise has asked to come visit. I will permit it for ONE week, no longer!"

Harry beamed up at him when he heard that his friend would be visiting but Severus could see the wariness in his eyes about what the first week would entail.

Severus was very surprised but oddly pleased when Harry came up to him to give him a hug before turning around and retiring to his room for the night. 

* * *

"What we're going to work on this week is not any strenuous or physical activity but it is something that is needed to help you become the greatest man you can be.

Though I say man, you are as yet still a boy but what you experience and learn now is what will shape you into the man you will become."

Harry sat and listened attentively to what Professor Snape was saying. He was uncertain as to where exactly the man was going with this conversation but could tell that Professor Snape was very serious.

"Your experiences at the hands of your relatives and Damen Nott are some of the things I will address within this week. I know that you understand that what they did to you was wrong and not consensual but what I really want you to learn is that that is not necessarily the biggest injustice they had done to you."

The frown Harry could not suppress was indication enough that he did not understand what exactly the Professor was referring to.

_I will do my best to understand what you want to teach me this week Professor_. Harry did not know how else to respond and was happy to see the Professor nod at his reply. 

* * *

Harry was starting to understand what his Professor wanted to teach him that week but he was not so certain anymore that he could actually _listen_ and _do_ what the Professor was asking of him.

Every morning since they had first had the discussion, Professor Snape made a point of it to tell Harry that he really was allowed to speak and that no one would punish him for it.

The first time it happened, Harry just gave the man a frown before nodding that he understood. He really did understand the statement, he just didn't believe it.

Since then, every morning and every evening the professor would do exactly the same and it was really starting to hit a nerve.

_Yes Professor! I heard you the first time and I understand what you're saying. Drop it already!_

Harry was horrified to see the quill scribbling away as his wayward thoughts wrote themselves down on the parchment. There was nothing he could do about it now though and Harry braced himself for the punishment he knew was coming. Professor Snape had never punished him before but Harry knew that such disrespect was liable to land him face first on the bed or over a table for a good and thorough whipping.

Professor Snape's eyes twitched and the glower he sent Harry's way made the boy cringe inside. The Professor's glare had not affected him so in a very long time.

Instead of the whipping Harry was expecting, he was very surprised to find himself draped over the Professor's lap before a sharp sting was felt on his bum.

It did not hurt per se but the suddenness of the movement and the fact that Professor Snape had actually punished him for the first time brought tears to his eyes.

"You will not speak to me in such a manner again, is that clear? Good! Now as to your very rude and unwarranted tirade, I do not think that you understand completely, because if you did, you would not react in such a way and would rather be doing something about it."

Harry righted himself as Professor Snape lifted him from his lap and quickly dried his tears with his robe.

"I want you to go to your room, take a shower and think long and hard about what you did tonight, the consequences you faced and what it all means. I will see you in the morning."

Professor Snape gave his shoulder one last squeeze before heading to his own rooms and Harry dashed to his room before his sobs could become audible. 

* * *

Harry lay in bed after a long relaxing shower and did as Professor Snape had asked. He thought about what he had done – written on the parchment – and thought about what the Professor had then done and said.

The one thing that clearly stood out in Harry's mind was the fact that Professor Snape had not punished him nearly hard enough for what his actions warranted.

He had lashed out once at Master Damen and could still remember the scars and bruises he had to treat for weeks afterwards. His uncle had not even needed any "attitude" on his part to dole out punishment and it was almost always bad enough that Harry could not get out of bed the next day.

Professor Snape had not reacted the way Harry expected he would. Harry had seriously expected a thorough whipping for his attitude and the fact the Professor had merely pulled him over his lap to give him a spanking confused Harry to no end.

There was something in the Professor's eyes that had caught Harry's attention and he struggled to pinpoint exactly what it was. After about ten minutes of thinking, Harry realised with a start that it had been disappointment.

The sobs that had subsided during his shower made it's way back up his throat and Harry buried his head in his pillow as shame washed over him.

Professor Snape was disappointed in him! He really, truly did not want to disappoint the man and the fact that he had done so disturbed him greatly.

With a multitude of thoughts and apologies rushing through his head, Harry fell into a troubled sleep. 

* * *

_I am deeply sorry for my actions and words yesterday Professor Snape. Please forgive me for being such a disappointment, I will do better in future._

Harry handed the piece of parchment over to Professor Snape as he entered the living room. It was the fourth draft put to paper and Harry hoped that it was both sincere and respectful enough. His first try at an apology had come out as a gibbering mess that not even HE could understand after reading it. The second and third had gone better but there had been unnecessary repetition in it and Edwin had cautioned Harry against referring to himself as "this boy" whenever he perceived he had done something wrong. This last draft was free of any self-loathing and disrespect towards himself so Harry dearly hoped that the Professor would find it acceptable.

Harry was brought back from his thoughts about the first three disastrous tries at an apology when the Professor gave a long sigh.

"Harry, listen and listen carefully. You Are Not a Disappointment. You are a wonderful, clever boy who has been misled and mistreated most of your life. The only disappointment I have is that I was unable to impart on you the truth of my words. I knew it would be impossible to convince you to think otherwise within just one week but my own stubbornness and pride would not let me leave it alone. You might get tired of the words and even lash out at me again Harry, but I will not stop repeating them until you believe them yourself. I promise you that I will never punish you for speaking, if you are disrespectful or if the words coming out of your mouth consist of foul language then you can definitely expect a repeat of last night's performance. I promise you this day that I will never whip you or do any kind of damage to your body purposefully. "

Harry could not help the smile that blossomed as he listened to his Professor. Not only was he not a disappointment to the man but he was also assured that his punishments would never be as bad as it was with his previous Master.

The sincerity in Professor Snape's voice as well as the conversation they just had rang loud and clear through Harry's mind. The Professor genuinely wanted him to talk and was even disappointed in himself for not being able to teach one of his charges something.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Harry kept repeating the Professor's words in his mind before a soft, barely audible "Thank you" could be heard.

Strong arms came around him and Harry jerked his eyes open in surprise. He realised that it was him who had said "Thank you" and was more than relieved at the response he got for purposefully saying something for the first time that he could remember.

The incident in the chamber did not count in his opinion because not only had he spoken a whole different language but it had been for the sole purpose of saving his best friend, not that it had done much good – he ruthlessly squashed the thought down.

"_I_ thank _you_ Harry. For trusting me enough with this. We will take it slow and you will definitely need to re-learn how to speak but I will be here with you the whole way through." 

* * *

Severus looked up as he heard a soft laugh coming from the small table where the boys were playing chess. Harry had spoken a few more times but still mostly used the quill and parchment.

Since Blaise arrived, Harry had not spoken one single word and Severus hoped that it was just because of the new element brought into the equation. He was fairly certain that Harry would speak again when it was just the two of them but for now, Severus could just hope and keep encouraging Harry.

Although it was a bit of a setback that Harry refused to speak while Blaise was there, the benefits of having Blaise there far outweighed this one negative reaction. Harry was more enthusiastic and exuberant than he had been in years and it was very seldom that Severus did not see a smile on Harry's face.

"She has really gotten big since I last saw her Harry! What _are_ you feeding her?" The playful tone in Blaise's voice brought a laugh forth from Harry and the boy sat stunned for a few seconds at the sound coming from his throat. Blaise was beaming at Harry and Severus thanked his lucky starts that the boy was aSlytherin and knew better than to comment on it.

_I'm not really sure exactly why she's growing Blaise, but Shika has developed quite a few surprising attributes that we really did not expect._

You know of course about the poison her fangs developed within the first year after I made her, correct?

Blaise nodded and Harry continued with his explanation.

_Well, she has been growing since that first year as well but now she is also developing the ability to draw magic into herself. We think that this might be the reason she is growing and is the reason she is even still here, and alive! I mean, look at her, she looks like a real, solid, breathing animal_

Blaise had to concede that Harry was right. Shika was becoming more and more striking every time he saw her and he could not help but marvel at what his friend had created.

_We are pretty sure that she would not be able to survive if she was completely cut off from magic, since she is basically made of magic and draws it into herself to strengthen her body and defences. There are many things we don't know yet about what she can do as she is being really stubborn and won't tell me what she's up to but we know she won't hurt us._

The two friends resumed their game and the rest of the evening was filled with fun and laughter. 

* * *

Severus snorted – though he would adamantly deny it – as he watched Harry's dazed face. The boy had been walking around with a silly grin and glazed eyes since Blaise left two days ago.

The boys had grown even closer during the week that Blaise visited and though Severus tried to push the memories from his mind, Blaise had placed a soft but lingering kiss on Harry's lips before he left.

Harry had been floating on clouds ever since and Severus could not help but deride such goofy, mushiness in his own mind. He refused to think about the incident anymore and gave a sharp command at Harry to read the book "Shielding your mind".

Severus had the distinct feeling that teaching Harry Occlumency was going to be one of the hardest and most challenging things he had ever done. 

* * *

"Have you even read the book you imbecilic, hard-headed little miscreant!"

Severus was at his wits end. Harry, he was sure, was getting even _worse_ with shielding his mind – if that was even possible!

"Sorry Professor." Harry never spoke louder than a whisper and Severus was glad that even with his harsh words, the boy had not reverted to writing with quill and parchment again.

"_Sorry_ does not tell me if you have read the book or not, Harry! The very first chapter explains how you can build a shield around your memories and the second chapter explains how to build tunnels in your mind so that you can lead anyone who reads your mind on a wild goose chase."

"I did Professor, I mean, I read the book, everything!" The helpless look Harry sent him was almost enough to squash down his irritation with the boy.

"If you read the book, then why is your mind still an open book? There is not even a small building block to show that you at least _tried_ to build a shield around the memories!"

Harry looked about ready to collapse after the trying evening of non-stop practice and Severus knew he would get no closer to an answer by continuing the ream the boy out.

"Fine Harry. We'll work on this again tomorrow. Think about exactly that you read in the book, what you applied from that which you learned and tomorrow morning we will work through it together."

Severus could see that Harry was despondent at not having gotten his shields right and although he was irritated with the boy, he knew that some comfort was needed. Walking over to the boy, he laid his hand on Harry's shoulder, gave a quick squeeze and then made his way to his own room. 

* * *

"I have absolutely no idea why these techniques are not working for you but I have done some more research and have found another way of shielding your memories. It is not as easy as building shields and tunnels in your mind but might turn out to be even more effective."

Harry gave Professor Snape a hopeful look and took the book the man held out for him. He was seriously depressed at not getting the shields right and would try anything if it meant the Professor would be proud of him.

"The first chapter explains how you can identify a foreign presence in your mind, how to put "alarms" up that will let you know someone is breaching yourdefences and then gives a broad overview of what the results will be if you succeed with this method of shielding."

The book was not very thick but as Harry opened it to the first page he could not help but scowl at the very small print. This was going to give him a headache!

**End Chapter 15**

Occlumency lessons will not be done in detail as I see no need of explaining everything. The next chapter will give a brief summary of how the lessons are going before moving on to fifth year.

As I have not written anything in years, I don't at the moment have a Beta. If anyone is interested, please let me know and I will send you the chapters.

If anyone is interested in Beta reading my completed fic "Life as I know it", please let me know because I really want to fix that one up. Thank you!

Next chapter will be up tomorrow!


	16. Chapter 16

**Title:** The Rules of Life

**Summary:** There was no Harry Potter at the Dursley's when Dumbledore sent Hagrid to fetch him in first year. Where in the world is Harry Potter? This fic isSNARRY slash, Snape!Dom, Harry!sub.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other familiar characters. Harry Potter and this magical world belong to JK Rowling and her publishers. No money made from this.

**Warnings: **This fic is Snarry slash, which means two men in a sexual relationship – specifically, Harry and Snape. This fic also contains BDSM elements withSnape as the Dominant partner and Harry as the submissive. If you don't know what this means then please don't read the fic – you won't understand most of what happens. The fic starts out before Hogwarts and contains elements of chan (just mentioning of it), dub-con and non-con (rape). Don't read if you don't like!

**Caution!** Although there is no sex in this chapter – won't be for quite a while yet – there is "The Talk" which is a bit explicit so younger readers, please note that I have marked this fic as NC-17 (or MV on hpfandom and M on ) because this is not a fic suitable for younger readers. The fact that it deals with BDSM relationships alone should warn you not to read this fic but there is no way to monitor these things and I can only advise caution.

Sensitive readers should be advised to have tissues nearby.

**Chapter 16**

Severus gently eased himself out of Harry's mind before reaching out a hand to steady the boy.

"You're improving a great deal Harry, work at it every night and you will have no problem defending your mind by the end of the year."

Harry gave him a grateful smile for the steadying hand on his shoulder as well as for the praise that Severus so seldom gives out.

"Thank you sir. It is much easier to just redirect my thoughts whenever you are looking for something specific in my mind than it was to try and build a wall around the memories. If you can teach me how to make "fake" memories then I will be able to even better protect my secrets."

Severus nodded his head in agreement and led the boy to the kitchen for some lunch and a much needed break.

"I'm glad to see that your 'alarm' system is working so well, you caught my presence almost immediately and started leading me through the most boring, unpleasant class I have ever had the misfortune of attending. Just _what_ is your English teacher trying to accomplish? Put you all to sleep?"

Harry snickered at Professor Snape's complaint but couldn't disagree with the man. Some of the subjects that Hogsmeade offered were vastly different from Hogwarts but still something that Harry and Severus thought a necessity. Severus had complained often enough with the Headmaster about the student's poor grasp of the English language but Albus refused to implement any plans for correcting this error.

The person teaching Harry's class English however, was old enough to be Albus's grandmother and she took delight in reading the prescribed books out loud for the class. Problem was, because of her age, she could not see very well even with her glasses, and every single word took between 3 and 7 seconds to form. If the students had the book she was reading from in their bags, they all opted to read by themselves while she droned on in front but for that specific lesson, she chose to read from one of the sixth year's prescribed books and the students were all treated to the lesson from hell.

"Albus's trial is this afternoon and although I don't think that he will end up in Azkaban as Sirius Black did, he will most likely lose his position as Headmaster and most of his other titles as well. The Wizengemot has requested the use of Veritaserum while questioning the Headmaster and I shudder to think of all the secrets that might come to light today."

Sirius Black's imprisonment was a sore subject for Severus. If it was up to him, the man would die a very slow and painful death. Unfortunately, he did not have any say in the Ministry's decision regarding the sentence of the man and could only plot and plan in his mind for if he should ever be alone in a room with that man.

"Keep working on your occlumency but first go through all your school items and make a list of what we need to buy when we go do Diagon Alley tomorrow. Your school list is in my pocket so do not worry about that, just make a list of the everyday things you might need – quill, parchment, scrap book etc…"

"Yes sir. I have a few other things that need replacement though." Harry blushed as he thought of all the things he actually needed. It was bad enough that he could not repay the Professor for all his kindness and for letting him stay with him, now he asked even more from the man!

"Well, what is it? Spit it out!"

"Er… well, my clothes have become quite worn after all the resizing's I've done on them over the years and most of them rip if I try to make them even bigger."

Severus could only stare in abject shock and dawning horror at the boy. He realised with a start that after the very first year Harry stayed with him, he had not once bought the boy any new clothes, muggle or otherwise.

"Yes, well, we'll put that on our list as well and get you some clothes that fit tomorrow. Shoes as well, I should think."

There was no way in hell that Severus was going to apologise for not getting the boy new clothes every year, he would just have to rectify it and remember to do so in future.

"Thank you Professor, that would be great."

Nodding at the boy, Severus turned around to return to his room before he could make his shame and guilt evident. 

* * *

The two of them were laden down with heavy bags by lunch time and Severus led the way toward a respectable restaurant for some much needed nourishment and rest. He shrank their bags while they waited for their food and Harry put most of his things in his pants' pocket while Severus put his own purchases in a big carry bag.

"The only shops we still have to go to is "Slug and Jiggers" and "Borgin and Burkes". Your potion supplies will be quick and easy to sort out so we will go there first, after that, we can go to Borgin but I warn you now, we will spend no more than 30 minutes there, is that clear?"

Harry nodded quickly, already thinking of all the books he could browse through. The Professor had given him five gallons for all of his purchases and Harry knew that there would be enough left for him to get an extra book or two after his school books had been paid.

When they had finished their shopping for the day, Severus escorted Harry to a nice coffee shop where they toasted (with non-alcoholic drinks of course) the promotion of Minerva McGonagall to Headmistress and Filius Flitwick as the new deputy headmaster of Hogwarts.

Albus Dumbledore had been found guilty of harbouring not only the criminal Sirius Black but also for harbouring one Quirinus Quirrel while knowing full well thatVoldemort (the paper used "you-know-who") was travelling on the back of his head. A few other miss-deeds and secrets also came to light which all amounted to a one year sentence in Azkaban where after he would be placed in St. Mungo's for carful observation. 

* * *

Severus brandished his wand as he rushed to his feet. Harry had come running into their quarters as if a band of Death Eaters were after him.

Scowling at the boy as he saw the beaming smile on his face, Severus calmly put his wand back in his pocket, took his seat and raised an eyebrow imperiously at the boy.

"What exactly has you rushing in here as if a herd of angry hippogriffs were after you?"

Harry looked down sheepishly before saying a quiet "Sorry sir!".

His remorse didn't last long however, for in the next moment Severus had a very exited, bouncing Harry next to his chair.

A parchment was thrust into his hands as Harry started explaining the situation eagerly.

"There is going to be a school trip next month! They asked that everyone get their guardians to sign the permission slip as soon as possible so that they would have an idea of how many students will go."

Severus's heart clenched as he heard this but the hopeful look on Harry's face kept the vicious "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" from being voiced.

"And where exactly will you be going on this trip?"

"Er… Africa, South Africa to be precise. Toor-Toring, the school that participated in the Gemstone-cut tournament?, they planned something similar to an 'exchange program', but instead of only a few students going to the school with one or two teachers, they have invited our entire year to go over. The fifth and seventh year students have been invited because even though it is the OWLs and NEWTs this year, they feel that a 'hands-on' experience in some of our classes would benefit us."

Severus understood the reasoning behind the trip, there were many creatures and plants that the students learned about at Hogsmeade school (and even those at Hogwarts), but that were just impossible to grow in Europe's climate. The African school would also doubtlessly benefit from this as they would in exchange learn more about the plants and creatures of Europe.

"This is something that you really, truly wish to do?"

"Oh yes Professor! I would love to see another country and experience their culture. Did you know that they have eleven National Languages? Eleven! I can only speak one language and still have trouble with it, imagine learning eleven languages so that you can converse with everyone in your country?"

"Yes Harry, I actually did know that little tid-bit of information but I believe that almost everyone there can at least understand a little bit of English as that is a main subject in most of their schools. Just how long will this 'exchange program' last?"

"Oh, that's good; I was kind of stressed that they wouldn't understand us when we go there. It will be for a month sir."

"And just when exactly did I give you permission to go on this trip?"

Harry bit his lip and lowered his head in shame. He should have known better than to get his hopes up. Someone like him, a fr…, no, no, Edwin said you mustn't think of yourself as a freak! Harry knew that people like him didn't get to do anything or go anywhere that they really wanted, it would give him freedom, something that he could never have and would never have – he wasn't allowed freedom. Freedom would make ideas form in his non-existent brain as Master Damen always said.

A strong hand lifted his chin up and Harry fought back the tears that were stinging his eyes.

"I did not mean to crush any hope you might have had Harry. I will need to think about this and plan accordingly. You know that Voldemort has returned and although the thought of you safely squirreled away in another country appeals to me, I can't in any good conscience let you go into a foreign place without me there to….. supervise you."

Harry blinked up at the Professor. It almost sounded like the man cared for him. Well, ok, yes, Harry knew that Professor Snape cared about him, he was his charge after all, but this sounded different, this sounded deeper.

Before Harry could say anything else to plead his case, Professor Snape dropped his hand and resumed his seat.

"I will think about it and give you the answer by tomorrow. Is that satisfactory?"

"Yes sir, thank you sir." 

* * *

"Do you have your tent? Do you have the moneypouch? Remember to take the Malaria potion if you go anywhere near the Kruger National Park, or just basically anywhere in the Limpopo province. I have made your potion book a portkey, if at any time you feel threatened or in any kind of danger, just tap the book three times and say "home". Now, do you have your bag and your tent?"

Harry nodded his head throughout the whole conversation but could not help but blink as the Professor repeated himself. Professor Snape had always been a very collected man and to see him unravel like this was nerve-racking.

"I will be fine Professor. I have everything I need and I know what to do if I'm in any kind of danger. Mrs Kingston is going with us, along with three other teachers for our year. There will be 30 fifth years and 27 seventh years going along with their professors. There will be more than enough people able to protect us."

Severus knew he was being unreasonable but the way Harry had sneaked into his heart and home had him on tenterhooks ever since he had agreed to this insane idea. Sure, the idea itself wasn't really insane but to let Harry go off on his own, somewhere Severus couldn't keep an eye on him, really tested his restraint.

"Yes well, be careful and make sure that you do all your homework. Now get going before I change my mind."

Harry smiled brightly before darting forward and giving him a quick hug.

"See you in a month Professor." 

* * *

The month that Harry was in South Africa served as an eye opener for Severus.

He knew of course that the brat had wiggled his way into his heart and his heart refused to let go no matter what, but Harry had also made a huge impact on his home.

The scratching of a quill and shuffling of feet were missing and the silence grated on Severus's nerves. He looked up every now and then, expecting to see a shy smile directed his way but there was nothing and no-one there.

The students and teachers of Hogwarts bore the brunt of his frustration and it was the first time in years that Severus had a student in detention every single night for that whole month. Of course, it wasn't the same student every night, that would have raised more than one eyebrow but the vindictive pleasure he got from tearing students to shreds helped his mood immensely. 

* * *

Severus sat patiently and listened to Harry's tale of his month in Africa.

They had gone on a trip all over the country apparently, where they learned more about the various plants and animals of that region of the country. Harry was very enthusiastic about the fact that he had even seen a Baobab tree close up, the tree that his wand was made of. Table Mountain was described in detail, as wasRobben Island although Harry complained about how much the penguins there stink.

The 'Kruger National Park' couldn't be praised enough and the beauty of the Blyde River Canyon was described in tones of awe and wonder. Harry expressed his regret in not having a camera there but apparently one of his friends took one and promised to make copies of all the photos.

The amount of plants and greenery that could be found in the canyon was phenomenal and Severus vowed to himself that he would one day take Harry there himself.

Harry explained that there was a plant called the Welwitschia mirabilis which was rumoured to live between 1000 and 2000 years. Harry could also not believe that the Cape Peninsula alone, boasts more plant species than the whole of Great Brittain.

The Augrabies waterfalls garnered a fair amount of respect from the students who all refused to go near the thundering water.

Severus marvelled at Harry's enthusiasm and non-stop talking. To think that not so long ago, the boy could not speak even one word. Severus doubted that anyone else has heard the boy speaking and was honoured to be blessed like this.

As Harry wound down his tale there was a knock on the door and Severus quickly moved to open it, already knowing that it would be Blaise for the boy had pestered him about when Harry would be back.

"Blaise!"

Harry rushed over to his friend and enveloped him in a big hug.

The shock on Blaise's face was apparent to Severus and he gave a subtle shake of his head to warn the boy not to comment on the fact that Harry said his name.

"Harry! Good to see you again. I've missed you and have so much to tell you! Let's go to your room and we can exchange stories."

The two boys hurried off to Harry's room and Severus sighed in relief at the peace and quiet that surrounded him. He might have been a bit uncomfortable with the silence in the place during Harry's trip but that did not mean that he did not still appreciate the peace that a quiet evening can bring. 

* * *

"This is going to be a very uncomfortable conversation but I believe it is necessary, Harry."

After walking into the living room and finding Harry and Blaise in a lip-lock, Severus had quickly ushered Blaise out of their rooms before sitting Harry down for a long talk.

"I know that you have experienced certain 'intimacies' when you were younger but I also know that you have absolutely no idea about a romantic relationship between two people.

What Damen Nott did to you is something that should have never happened. To give yourself to someone in that way is sacred and should only be done with someone you truly love and wish to spend your life with."

Severus stopped here to see if Harry was still keeping up and even though there was a frown on the boy's face, he nodded for Severus to continue.

"I know that Blaise is your friend and that you care for him deeply, and he for you. I just want you to be careful with how far you let this relationship develop. Do not do anything that you feel uncomfortable with, even though you have been penetrated before does not mean that anyone who wants to be intimate with you should get the chance to do so.

It is your choice, and yours alone, to decide how far you are willing to go in any relationship, be it with Blaise or with someone else. No one should ever force you to do something you don't want to.

I want you to promise me something Harry."

Severus paused to make sure he had Harry's undivided attention.

"Promise me that if you are ever in a situation where your heart screams at you that you don't want to do this, but your mind tries to force you to comply because of all you have experienced, promise me that you will listen to your heart and come look for me immediately. Can you promise me that?"

Harry considered the words carefully before nodding.

"Yes sir, I can do that. If something bothers me but I feel that I must do it anyway because it is something I'm used to doing, I will turn away and come look for you. Is that right?"

"That is all I can ask Harry. Now, if you wish to have a relationship with Blaise, to get to know him better then you are free to do so but you WILL NOT progress to intercourse while you are still a student, is that clear? I will have a similar conversation with Blaise to impart on him these same rules."

Harry blushed to the roots of his hair but nodded his agreement. He was not even close to ready for such an intimate relationship but he knew that caution was to be advised.

"Good, now get to bed, you have school tomorrow." 

* * *

"er… Professor, sir, sorry to bother but, er.."

"What is it Harry? Spit it out!"

"Well sir, you said I must come to you if I'm uncomfortable or uncertain about something…."

"What happened? Are you alright, are you hurt? Did Blaise do something?"

Harry blinked before lowering his head blushing.

"Well, er… sort of, it's just, I don't think he did it on purpose sir, er… I'm pretty sure he didn't even realise that anything happened. I'm just not sure what to do sir."

"Please Harry, speak clearly before I go and find Blaise and give him a thorough spanking!"

"NO! No, sir! Really, he didn't do anything, well, I don't think he did, it's just that, well, I don't know exactly what happened sir but er… my er… dick sir, something happened and I'm not sure exactly what. It was quite uncomfortable for a while sir, and you said if anything made me uncomfortable that I should come and tell you."

Severus rubbed his temples and heaved a huge sigh.

"Come and sit here next to me Harry."

"From what I understood with that ramble, you experienced something that was new to you, something that made your penis uncomfortable and you rushed here the first chance you got."

"Er… basically, yes…."

"Ok, Harry, tell me, the uncomfortable feeling you had, did it make your penis hard, did it make your pants feel a bit tighter and thus made you uncomfortable?"

"Yes sir! That's exactly it!"

Harry sounded so relieved that Severus understood that the man could not help but chuckle at Harry's naivety.

"Harry, what you experienced was an erection. Because you were young when Damen took you from your relatives, you never really knew exactly what happened to you, did you? No, don't answer, it was a rhetorical question. Harry, when two people like each other and want to show their appreciation of each other, they experience physical effects of that attraction. For a man, if they like someone and appreciate their body, they develop an erection…"

As Severus continued his explanation, Harry's eyes got bigger and bigger and in the end he looked like he might faint.

"That, that was what he put there, behind I mean? His penis was actually inside me? But, but you said that only if you like someone and want to experience pleasure together would that happen. I, I didn't want that, I didn't like him doing it to me! Never! Why, why did he do that when I didn't like it?"

Severus wrapped his arms around Harry as the boy broke down. It was not something that Severus wanted to do, to describe to Harry exactly what had been done to him and exactly what he had lost due to perverted men who only wanted to satisfy their own needs.

"Ssshh, Harry. You're not there anymore, you're safe and I will do everything in my power to make sure that nothing like that ever happens to you again."

**End Chapter 16**

We are going to visit my sisters this weekend so I can't promise when the next chapter will be up but it won't be any later than Monday.

Cape Peninsula: .org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Satellite_image_of_Cape_/350px-Satellite_image_of_Cape_

Augrabies falls:  
.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR7R_


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